In the Europa League semi-finals, Bayer Leverkusen managed to secure their place in the final, pulling through with a 2-2 draw against Roma at home, thus managing to win 4-2 on aggregate. Their knack for keeping an unbeaten record in competitive football, including European ties was impressive, scoring 49 matches undefeated, hence breaking the record previously held by Benfica from 1963–65. However, securing the draw in their second leg against Roma was not at all straightforward. Roma took the initiative, scoring through Leandro Paredes from a penalty kick, who later nailed another penalty kick thanks to a handball from Adam Hlozek. Leverkusen finally broke the tide with Gianluca Mancini accidentally turning the ball into his own net after a corner, with Joseph Stanisic securing the draw in the closing stages, to continue Xabi Alonso’s side’s unbeaten run. On May 22nd, Leverkusen will play its final match against Atalanta at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
In a captivating victory, Atalanta managed to score three goals, defeating Marseille and sealing an aggregate victory of 4-1, propelling the Italians into their debut Europa League final. Marked by Lookman’s exceptional long-range strike and Ruggeri’s goal after the break, they sealed their triumph with substitute Toure’s goal in the dying minutes. Placed fifth in Serie A, Atalanta anticipates a Champions League spot as they face off against Juventus in the Italian Cup finale next Wednesday.
In the Europa Conference League semi-final, Olympiakos routed Aston Vila 2-0 and 6-2 on aggregate.
Greek football team Olympiakos leaps into the Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina, following a solid 2-0 home victory against Aston Villa on Thursday. This triumph yields a 6-2 aggregate win, largely spearheaded by their forward Ayoub El Kaabi’s twin goals. The Moroccan, who had scored a phenomenal hat-trick in the initial leg, opened the scoring in the 10th minute, helped by Daniel Podence and full back Quini’s excellent teamwork.
Despite Aston Villa’s commanding possession in the first half, their best attempt at balancing the score through winger Leon Bailey was successfully thwarted by Olympiakos’ Konstantinos Tzolakis just before the break. The later half continued in a similar vein, ultimately leading to another goal by El Kaabi, a feat that propelled Olympiakos into their first ever European final in their near century-long history. The decisive match will unfold on May 29th at AEK Athens’ stadium, a rival of the Greek team.