Leverkusen on course for Europa League final after Andrich’s magic shocks Roma | European League

Bayer Leverkusen took a big step towards the Europa League final after a deserved 2-0 victory in the first leg of their round of 16 tie against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.

Florian Wirtz gave Leverkusen the lead at half-time before Robert Andrich scored a superb second as the German champions proved too strong for their hosts. Xabi Alonso’s side also extended their unbeaten run to 47 games in all competitions this season.

Leverkusen, who were beaten by Roma in two games at the same stage of the competition last season, remain on course for the treble. They will face second-tier side Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final later this month, ahead of what now looks like a likely Dublin date against either Atalanta or Marseille, who drew 1-1 in the first leg in France.

Roma, who lost on penalties to Sevilla in last year’s final, had lost just three times in all competitions since head coach Daniele De Rossi replaced Jose Mourinho in January. But after Roma striker Romelu Lukaku’s header hit the crossbar, De Rossi’s team gave Leverkusen the lead in the 28th minute.

Right back Rick Karsdorp’s back pass fell short and Álex Grimaldo met Wirtz to score his 18th goal of the season. Leverkusen underlined their superiority in the 73rd minute when Andrich unleashed a magnificent shot from 25 meters over Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar and under the crossbar.

Roma’s frustrations boiled over after Andrich’s goal as words were exchanged and players from both sides became involved in a melee, resulting in yellow cards for the hosts’ Leonardo Spinazzola and Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka.

Roma finished second but created other opportunities to give De Rossi hope for the second leg in Germany next Thursday. Bryan Cristante headed a second-half corner wide and Piero Hincapie’s tackle denied substitute Sardar Azmoun, before Tammy Abraham headed in from two yards in stoppage time.

“We fought well and showed a mature performance with a lot of discipline,” Leverkusen coach Alonso said afterwards. “We defended narrowly and compactly, so we are satisfied with the performance. But the second leg has not been played yet.

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“Overall, we played a really serious match, with a really professional performance,” Alonso told TNT Sports. “It’s not super spectacular, but we did the things we had to do. The commitment of the players has been fantastic.” The Spaniard added that the defeat against Roma at this point last season motivated his team.

“We still have the pain that it could have been better last year and we used it in a positive way, (although) this team is different and has improved a lot,” he said. “Overall, it was a very mature performance and that’s why we got a good result.”

Leverkusen could equal Benfica’s record among Europe’s top 10 leagues of 48 unbeaten matches, set between 1963 and 1965, before facing Roma in the second leg. Die Werkself On Sunday they travel to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.