Bayer 04 Leverkusen continues their amazing unbeaten streak with a 2-2 draw against Roma in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League Semifinal. They won in the aggregate score 4-2 and have advanced to the Final against Atalanta. The match will be on May 22nd in Dublin, Ireland.
It is now 49 matches that Bayer 04 Leverkusen has stayed unbeaten in an unprecedented run of greatness. They broke Benfica’s record of 48 match unbeaten record set back in 1963-1965. Today’s match proved that this season will not soon be forgotten regardless of what happens in their final 4 matches of the season.
Is Bayer 04 Leverkusen the greatest team ever?
Bayer 04 Leverkusen: They Don’t Give Up
It was a rough first half for Bayer 04 Leverkusen who were struggling to maintain the ball and create chances. This team has shown all year that ball possession is the key to success in today’s game. A late first-half penalty kick from Leandro Paredes gave Roma the 1-0 lead at the half.
The second half seemed to start the same way the first half went with Bayer struggling to hold on to the ball and create chances. And then disaster struck again for Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The play was stopped for a VAR review there was a handball called on Adam Hlozek in the box giving Roma their second penalty kick.
Leandro Paredes buried the penalty kick and gave Roma the 2-0 lead and more importantly, tied the aggregate score 2-2 in the 66th minute. It seemed like this series was destined for extra time. It also looked like the unbeaten streak was going to end, but Bayer had other things in mind.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen: With a Little Luck
In the 82nd minute with time winding off the clock, a complete mental error by Roma cost them the series. Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar tried to come out to clear a ball away on a Bayer corner but his defenders got in his way. Svilar completely missed the ball and it then deflected off of Gianluca Mancini who was standing next to the goal.
They made it 3-2 in favor of Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Roma’s lack of communication led to this. It was pure luck for Bayer that Mancini was standing where he was and the ball deflected in a way for it to go straight into the net. You need luck to win, no doubt about it.
Bayer didn’t need to push for another goal with a 3-2 lead in the aggregate score but they did. They were trying to maintain the unbeaten streak. The tying goal came in the 97th minute after the referee added 7 minutes from Josip Staniši. Bayer 04 Leverkusen recovered the ball near midfield and eventually ended up with Staniši. and made a highlight reel goal from inside the box.
This is arguably the greatest team ever in terms of accomplishments if they can stay undefeated in the final 4 matches and win two cups to complete the treble. Bayer will be at Vfl Bochum on Sunday for the Bundesliga play.
About the Author
Mike Nelson lives and breathes sports. Ever since he was very young he has also dreamed of covering sports. Mike graduated from CSULA in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. He has been very lucky to cover sports and be on the radio for the last few years with different organizations including a stint with the LA Galaxy where he was one of the announcers for the LA Galaxy 2 team for two seasons.
Mike loves music, he hosts his radio show/podcast “The Mike Nelson Show” where he has gotten to interview the biggest names in rock and metal including Les Claypool, David Ellefson, and others.
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