The UEFA Cup semi-final second leg between Leverkusen and Roma was an up-and-down contest. In the end, Leverkusen drew with Roma in extra time to advance to the final with a 4-2 aggregate score.
At the beginning of the first half, both Leverkusen and Roma showed a strong desire to attack. In the 29th minute, Leverkusen kicked off a tactical set piece in front of the field, Palacios tried to shoot from the top of the arc, but unfortunately hit the post. In the 39th minute, Leverkusen continued to attack in front of the field, but the successive shots in the penalty area were miraculously solved by Roma goalkeeper Slavier. In the 43rd minute, Roma ushered in a turnaround, Azmoun was pulled down by Ta in the penalty area, and the referee decisively blew for a penalty kick, which Paredes hit to help Roma take a 1-0 lead over Leverkusen.
In the second half, the battle continued. In the 56th minute, Azmoun's heavy blast from outside the box was parried by the goalkeeper. In the 58th minute, Leverkusen counterattacked with more than they could handle, but Hoffmann's shot inside the box was blocked by Slavier. In the 60th minute, Hrozek's push from a teammate's pass in the box was again parried by Slavier. However, in the 63rd minute, Leverkusen made a mistake at the back, Hrozek handballed inside the box, and after VAR intervened, the referee awarded a penalty kick, which Paredes nodded home to give Roma a 2-0 lead over Leverkusen.
Just when people thought that Roma would win the game, Leverkusen launched a wild attack. In the 82nd minute, Leverkusen kicked a corner kick from the right side, and in the penalty area, Mancini inadvertently set himself up in front of the goal, and Leverkusen equalized, trailing Roma 1-2. The game went into extra time, and in the 97th minute, Leverkusen completed a stunning equalizer. Stanisic went past the defenders and scored directly on the break to help his team force a 2-2 draw.
In the end, Leverkusen eliminated Roma by 4-2 on aggregate with this extra time equalizer to advance to the UEFA Cup final. The match was full of drama, with both players displaying resilience and excellent technical and tactical skills.
