Roma v Bayer Leverkusen: Europa League semi-final, first leg - live

37s ago 15.21 EDT 17 min: Paredes takes the free-kick, which bounces in a perfect area around the six-yard box, but bizarrely none of the Roma players have made the right run to meet his delivery. The ball bounces out harmlessly on the far side for a goal kick. That’s a very bad waste of a good set-piece opportunity. Share Updated at 15.21 EDT

2m ago 15.19 EDT 16 min: Roma go route one with Svilar booting it upfield. Lukaku is running alongside Tah as the ball bounces up into space behind the defence … Tah yanks him down and gets a booking from Francois Letexier, the referee. That was hardly sophisticated but it put Leverkusen under immediate pressure and drew a booking. Share Updated at 15.19 EDT

5m ago 15.16 EDT 13 min: Leverkusen ping a few authoritative passes around in the final third with Roma defenders massed on the edge of their penalty area. Alonso’s side, as they often do, are making football look quite easy: playing it simple and maintaining possession with good passing technique, awareness and off-the-ball movement. Share Updated at 15.16 EDT

8m ago 15.14 EDT 11 min: Lukaku is roaming around with intent, trying to get on the shoulder of the last defender and beyond. It looks like there may be a chance for Lukaku to get in behind for Roma, but eventually the ball drops for Dybala on the edge of the box. He hits a decent curling shot but it’s straight at Kovar in goal. Share Updated at 15.14 EDT

9m ago 15.12 EDT 10 min: Atalanta lead Marseille in the other semi-final. Gianluca Scamacca, formerly of West Ham, with the goal. Share

11m ago 15.10 EDT 8 min: Grimaldo does well to release Adli, who has space to run at a back-pedalling Roma defence. Adli has a shot from just inside the area which is blocked. Overall Leverkusen look more composed in possession and hence more dangerous in attack. Share Updated at 15.11 EDT

13m ago 15.08 EDT 6 min: This is a real cauldron: the smoke, the deafening noise and the dozens of flags and banners. Tremendous atmosphere. But the football is fairly pedestrian thus far. View image in fullscreen The Roma fans are up for this. Photograph: Alberto Lingria/Reuters Share Updated at 15.15 EDT

14m ago 15.07 EDT 4 min: Karsdorp tries and fails to keep a pass in play down the Roma right. Smoke hangs heavy in the air from the pre-match flares and fireworks. Xhaka has a crack from distance for the German champions. A goal kick for the hosts is the result, and they opt to try and play it out from the back, but Spinazzola gives it away. Thankfully for him no harm done. Share Updated at 15.07 EDT

16m ago 15.05 EDT 2 min: Cagey start from both sides, neither committing bodies to attack. A long ball is launched out of Leverkusen’s defence but it’s straight through to Svilar. Share Updated at 15.05 EDT

19m ago 15.02 EDT First half kick-off! Let’s go. Share Updated at 15.03 EDT

19m ago 15.02 EDT “At Roma, they know Leverkusen are the favourites,” Rudi Völler told Sport Bild. He played for both these clubs. “If Leverkusen play as well as they have all season, they will reach the final. But they have to be careful. A few weeks ago, Liverpool were the favourites and now they are no longer in the competition.” Share

21m ago 15.00 EDT The teams are out. De Rossi and Alonso share a warm embrace. Share

22m ago 14.59 EDT AVANZIAMO, – let’s move forward – reads a massive banner across the packed Roma crowd, or rather the appearance of a banner achieved with a bit of trickery. Share

26m ago 14.55 EDT OK, it’s more beard than moustache, but there is definitely a resemblance. Anyway – kick-off is a mere five minutes away! View image in fullscreen Daniele De Rossi. Photograph: Ettore Ferrari/EPA Share

32m ago 14.49 EDT Matt Smith and James Horncastle are pitchside in Rome. It is LOUD. “Mourinho had a lot to do with creating this atmosphere,” Horncastle tells Smith, struggling to make himself heard over the noise. “Bringing the crowds back to the Olimpico.” “De Rossi has taken them on. More expansive, more attacking.” The Roma manager has lost just three times since taking over in January and he likes to attack. I hereby appoint the moustachioed Daniele De Rossi as the Lord Flashheart of European football management. View image in fullscreen Rik Mayall as Lord Flashheart in Blackadder. Photograph: BBC Share Updated at 14.50 EDT

37m ago 14.44 EDT “As soon as the referee blows for kick-off, everyone starts to move,” De Rossi said of his potential formation this evening. I mean, that’s undeniable, but his point is that formations are more fluid in the modern game than perhaps they once were. Share

41m ago 14.40 EDT I’m looking forward to this one. Are you? Send me an email. Share

43m ago 14.38 EDT “Is this Leverkusen story giving you Leicester vibes?” asks Lynsey Hipgrave on TNT Sports. “Well, no,” replies Owen Hargreaves. He espouses the idea that Leverkusen are a possession team while Leicester were a counterattacking team. Share

45m ago 14.36 EDT Leverkusen are on for a potential treble. They have the German Cup final coming up, against Kaiserslautern on 25 May, and of course have already sealed the league title. Share

48m ago 14.33 EDT De Rossi is quoted at length on the Roma website looking ahead to the match. Here’s some of what he said about tonight’s opponents: “We should fear everything about them, starting with the way they play. They play superb football and have had so many good results. They have some excellent players. I rate their coach very highly for what he’s achieved since taking the reins. They’ve spent more time working with their coach.

“There’s a lot for us to worry about and one thing we must be very respectful of is the fact they’re still unbeaten despite often having fallen behind in games. They’ve also often gone on to win matches after conceding an equaliser. Besides being a great team, they have this incredible belief and tenacity to keep chasing the game even when it might seem lost.” Share Updated at 14.39 EDT

1h ago 14.21 EDT Roma may be owned by the Friedkin family, but it is Leverkusen who will be looking to exorcise the demons of last season’s defeat at the same stage of this competition. Edoardo Bove scored Roma’s goal in the first leg before Roma held the German side to a 0-0 draw in the second leg. Classic Mou. José Mourinho’s Roma survive Bayer Leverkusen onslaught to reach final Read more Share

1h ago 14.05 EDT Teams De Rossi makes six changes to the team that drew 2-2 at Napoli at the weekend. Karsdorp, Smalling, Ndicka, Paredes, Lukaku and El Shaarawy all come in to the starting lineup. The injury-troubled Smalling returns from his latest enforced absence, while there was also some doubt Lukaku as he’d also been sidelined by a knock. But here he is. And I make it five changes for Alonso and Leverkusen: Kovar, Stanisic, Xhaka, Hincapie and Wirtz are added – the German side also drew 2-2 in the league at the weekend, against Stuttgart. Roma (4-3-3): Svilar; Karsdorp, Mancini, Smalling, Spinazzola; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Dybala, Lukaku, El Shaarawy. Substitutes: Rui Patricio, N’Dicka, Abraham, Llorente, Azmoun, Sanches, Aouar, Baldanzi, Bove, Zalewski, Boer, Angelino. Bayer Leverkusen (3-4-2-1): Kovar, Stanisic, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Hincapie; Wirtz, Grimaldo; Adli. Substitutes: Hradecky, Kossounou, Hofmann, Iglesias, Arthur, Schick, Tella, Boniface, Hlozek, Palacios, Puerta, Lomb. Referee: Francois Letexier (France) 📋 Ecco la formazione scelta da mister De Rossi per #RomaBayer 🐺

🔥 DAJE ROMA DAJE! 🔥#ASRoma #UEL pic.twitter.com/gy7fI4C0qT — AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) May 2, 2024 Share Updated at 14.19 EDT

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