ROME – Xabi Alonso said his Bayer Leverkusen players were easily motivated to give their best as they grabbed a 2-0 away win over AS Roma in the Europa League semi-finals on May 2, but remain cautious ahead of the return leg next week.
Goals by Florian Wirtz and Robert Andrich gave the German Bundesliga champions a two-goal advantage over last season’s runners-up, extending their unbeaten run to 47 matches in all competitions.
“We made good transitions once they were open and we had enough spaces, and the commitment and the discipline from the players have been fantastic,” Alonso said.
“Today, the game plan was quite clear. We have players who can play in different roles and we really performed at a very high level. We could have scored more, but it’s fair enough. It was not difficult to motivate the players. But there is still a game to play.”
Leverkusen won their first meeting with Roma in almost 20 years, since they beat Italy’s capital side 3-1 at home in October 2004 in the Champions League group stage.
They were winless in five games against Roma since.
“It was a serious and careful match, we were smart and mature. They had their chances, but the lead gave us more confidence to do our things in possession and non-possession,” Alonso added.
“Up front, we have fast players. In the second half, we did not concede anything – we knew if we were careful and solid, we would then have our chances. The team found the right compromise and 2-0 is a good result, we go home happy but cautious.”
The Leverkusen boss also said that he wants his team to “go on like this until the end of the season” in reference to their remarkable unbeaten streak.
The team scored yet another last-gasp equaliser to get a 2-2 draw against VfB Stuttgart last weekend that allowed them to extend their run before their latest win against Roma.
The other semi-final tie is finely poised as Marseille and Atalanta drew 1-1 in their first-leg clash in France.
Gianluca Scamacca gave Atalanta an early lead to silence a huge crowd at a packed Velodrome, but Chancel Mbemba quickly pulled Marseille level with a stunning strike from outside the box.
In the Europa Conference League, Ayoub El Kaabi scored a hat-trick as Olympiakos stunned Unai Emery’s Aston Villa 4-2 in the first leg at Villa Park to close in on the final on home soil in Athens.
Fiorentina will take a slender lead into the other semi-final, as M’Bala Nzola’s stoppage-time strike earned a 3-2 win over 10-man Club Brugge. REUTERS, AFP
