Bittersweet evening for Italian football, protagonist in both of the return matches Europa League semi-finals 2023-2024. At the end of the fair, only one of the two Italian teams involved qualified for the last round of the second UEFA continental cup, theAtalantawhile the Rome he came close to making a sensational comeback, only giving in in the final minutes against Bayer Leverkusen.
However, let’s start with the good news and therefore with the Goddess, who lived a dream night at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo in front of her own audience, reaching the first European final in her history. After the 1-1 away draw in the first leg at the Velodrome in Marseille, Gasperini’s men dominated the scene, breaking the deadlock in the 30th minute with Lookman’s goal and then spreading in the second half, giving OM a resounding 3-0 thanks to goals from Ruggeri in the 52nd minute and Tourè in the 95th minute.
The other semi-final was decidedly more dramatic and exciting, with Roma looking for an almost impossible turnaround in Leverkusen after the 2-0 home defeat in the first leg. De Rossi’s team, despite a very difficult start in which they still got themselves a few chances, scared the German champions by taking the lead 2-0 with two penalties from Paredes (in the 43rd minute and in the 66th minute) and therefore coming close to the extras. A mocking own goal by Mancini in the 82nd minute was decisive in the negative, with Bayer Leverkusen also finding the 2-2 goal in the 97th minute at the moment of the final assault by the Giallorossi.
