Roma take narrow lead over Bayer Leverkusen in Europa League semis
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AS Roma's Italian midfielder Edoardo Bove (right) celebrates after scoring the opening goal at the Olympic Stadium on May 11.
PHOTO: AFP
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ROME – AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho praised the healthy growth of 20-year-old Edoardo Bove, whose second-half goal on Thursday gave his team a 1-0 home victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final.
The Roma youth product, who plays as a midfielder, stabbed in the winner in the 63rd minute for his first European goal.
“Those who are behind Edoardo, his parents and family, deserve all the credit,” said Mourinho.
“He is a very polite boy, with an academic background. He’s a professional, he looks like a 30-year-old.
“Last year he played five minutes, this year 20, then 30, then he became a starter.
“I did my job, I helped him grow. I don’t know his family personally, but surely his family will be of a high standard.”
Roma, bidding to win back-to-back European titles under Mourinho following last season’s Europa Conference League triumph, travel to Leverkusen next week for the return leg.
The winners will face Juventus or Sevilla, who drew 1-1 in their first leg, in the final.
“I’m especially happy with the result,” Bove said. “It was essential to win this first half and go there on Thursday with the same desire.
“Today we put great intensity into our game. At first, they made it difficult for us and it took us a while to adjust but then we controlled the game very well.”
It had all started according to plan for Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen, who have not made a European final since their 2002 appearance in the Champions League showpiece.
In a lively start, they came close twice, with Robert Andrich’s shot saved after 40 seconds and Florian Wirtz wasting a golden chance when he fired wide.
But Roma, missing several players through injury and with Paulo Dybala and Georginio Wijnaldum not fully fit, broke the deadlock when Bove started a move and stabbed in on the rebound after Tammy Abraham’s shot was saved.
The visitors almost bagged an unexpected equaliser towards the end of a scrappy second half, but Jeremie Frimpong’s 87th-minute shot was blocked on the line.
In Turin, Federico Gatti scored with a header seven minutes into added time to earn Juventus a 1-1 home draw against Europa League kings Sevilla.
Sevilla ignored the heavy rain and the pressure of the Italian crowd at a packed Allianz Stadium to dominate the game.
They looked on course to continue their bid for a record-extending seventh title, before Gatti’s last-gasp effort left the tie evenly poised. Morocco striker Youssef En-Nesyri scored from close range for the Spanish side in the 26th minute. REUTERS, AFP
