Roma edged out Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final thanks to a goal from Edoardo Bove in the second half.
The young midfielder slotted home after Tammy Abraham’s attempt was parried to net his maiden European goal. Leverkusen wasted a golden opportunity in the opening minutes when Florian Wirtz missed the target. They had another chance to level the score late on but Jeremie Frimpong’s shot was blocked after Rui Patricio’s error.
The referee dismissed their claims for a penalty after the same incident. Roma could have gone ahead earlier but Roger Ibanez’s header was brilliantly saved. Jose Mourinho, who led Roma to the Europa Conference League title last season, is aiming for his sixth European trophy as a manager.
He has previously won with Porto, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Roma. He faced his former Real Madrid player Xavi Alonso, who is now in charge of Leverkusen. Alonso played under Mourinho for three seasons and made 151 appearances.
