Bayern Leverkusen moved into the Final of the UEFA Europa League with a 2-2 draw in the second leg against Roma at the BayArena. Having secured a 2-0 win in the first leg, the German side were put under tremendous pressure by Roma as they nullified Bayern’s lead with two goals from the penalty spot. However, Xabi Alonso’s men once again fought through the adversity and pulled themselves back into the game with two goals after the 80th minute.
Argentinian midfielder Leandro Paredes scored both the penalties for Roma. The Italian side were doing well to preserve their 2-0 lead, but an unfortunate own goal in the 82nd minute from Gianluca Mancini meant that they were once again behind on aggregate. To add salt to their wounds, Bayern Leverkusen scored their second goal in the 97th minute through Josip Stanisic, ending Roma’s European dreams.
Stanisic’s goal helped the German side keep their unbeaten run alive this season. They have now gone without a loss for 49 games, breaking the previous European record held by Benfica. Bayern will face another Italian side Atalanta in the Final of the competition.
Can Bayern Leverkusen go invincible till the end of the season?
Bayern Leverkusen have been a revelation in European football this season. After finishing sixth last campaign, there were expectations of improvements from the team, but they have exceeded all of them. Having already clinched the Bundesliga title, Leverkusen are in contention to win two more trophies this season.
They have two more games in the league which are against VfL Bochum and Augsburg, both of these sides are placed 14th and 15th in the table respectively. Their Final in the DFB Pokal competition is against FC Kaiserslautern, who are placed 14th in the second tier of German football. While these fixtures could prove to be relatively easy for Bayern Leverkusen, their ultimate test could be against Atalanta in the Final of the Europa League.
The Italian side have been terrific this season. They are in the final of the Italian domestic competition and are placed fifth in Seria A, with chances to push further up. Atalanta’s last loss was against Liverpool in the second leg of the Quarter-Final fixture between the two teams. Their journey to the final of the Europa League has not been easy and the culmination of that will be against a Leverkusen side that has not lost a game this season.
If Bayern Leverkusen manages to go undefeated this season, they will be the only team to win a treble without losing a single game. This will certainly etch their name in the history books as one of the greatest teams to ever be assembled.
