Bayer Leverkusen’s semi-finals exit in the Europa League caused a lot of frustration. The German club got acquainted with the football of José Mourinho, who did everything he could with AS Roma after the 1-0 win at home to win the 0-0 in the return. That worked, leaving Leverkusen stranded.
Leverkusen infuriated with Mourinho football
The stats of the game were obvious. Leverkusen scored 23 shots to only one from Roma. The possession of the ball with 72 percent was also clearly in favor of the Germans. Only that one goal was missing, so it was a party for Mourinho and co. Some Leverkusen players found it difficult to swallow that.
“It’s a pity, but you know that a style of play like this is rewarded in a semi-final at this level,” Kerem Demirbay told RTL. “This is sour, very sour. Also for football. But we must congratulate our opponent. They achieved their goal in a disgusting way. Frankly, I’m proud of the group.”
Teammate Nadiem Amiri did not hold back either: “Mentally I’m in the pit right now. We didn’t deserve to be eliminated by a team that has nothing to do with football. I really wonder how this is possible. How they played today and last week… Every ball went long. That’s not football, is it? To see a team like this in the finals is insane. On the other hand, we didn’t manage to score in two games ourselves, that’s also the truth.”
Xabi Alonso said he didn’t want to cry
Even director Simon Rolfes spoke out about Roma’s style of play. “After every shot on goal, there was another player lying on the ground who had to be taken away on a stretcher because they were so badly injured. I think everyone who was in the stadium today wishes good luck to Sevilla in the final. It’s sad that this way of playing leads to success,” he said.
Manager Xabi Alonso said he didn’t want to cry: “We had plenty of chances to score a goal. I am proud of the boys. They gave everything, until the end. We played a good game, but the details were not easy for us. I’m not going to say anything about Roma’s style of play here. We did what we could, but it wasn’t enough.”
