Bayer Leverkusen were furious with Roma’s time-wasting tactics as Jose Mourinho’s side edged past them to reach the Europa League final. A goalless draw in Germany was enough for Roma to progress to their second successive European final as they had beaten Leverkusen 1-0 in the first leg last week. Roma failed to register a shot on target in their return leg against Leverkusen, while the Bundesliga side grew increasingly frustrated by the time-wasting tactics from Mourinho’s players. However, Xabi Alonso’s men were unable to find a breakthrough and Roma will now play Sevilla in the Europa League final at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on May 31.
Speaking after the game, Leverkusen midfielder Kerem Demirbay criticised Mourinho and Roma’s defensive approach. ‘It’s a shame that in a semi final at such a high level that this type of play can be rewarded,’ he told RTL. ‘They made things very ugly at the end.’ Mourinho, who guided Roma to victory in the Europa Conference League last season, also revealed that he decided against a celebratory run on the pitch as a mark of respect to Alonso, who he managed at Real Madrid. ‘No, it’s not an agility problem,’ Mourinho said. ‘Experience doesn’t come into it because you still feel the pressure during these moments in the same way. You feel the same joy too. It doesn’t change anything. To tell you the truth, it’s very hard for me to come up against my friends because while you may forget during the game, it’s tough afterwards. I don’t like celebrating in front of my guys and the person doing an extraordinary job out there, Xabi, is one of mine. That’s why I struggle.’