Swissquote Match Analysis: Roma vs Leverkusen

Edoardo Bove's 63rd-minute goal gave Roma the advantage in their UEFA Europa League semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen, leaving José Mourinho's UEFA Europa Conference League holders with a healthy chance of reaching a second continental final in as many seasons.

Mourinho's team were missing key players through injury, though stars Paulo Dybala and Georginio Wijnaldum came on in the final 15 minutes to help out their tiring team-mates. Coached by Mourinho's former Real Madrid charge Xabi Alonso, Leverkusen had chances to score at the start and end of the game, with Jeremie Frimpong's shot blocked on the line in the 87th minute.

In this article, presented by Swissquote, the UEFA Technical Observer panel picks out several key tactical details from a match played in front of a passionate Rome crowd and a sizeable Leverkusen contingent.

Goals

1-0: Bove (63)
Tammy Abraham headed a long ball forward from defender Gianluca Mancini back to Bove, who surged forward, keeping the ball close with opponents closing in on him. Bove then passed back to Abraham, who turned and shot. His effort was saved, but the loose ball fell to 20-year-old academy graduate Bove, who stabbed a left-footed shot into the bottom corner for his first European goal.

Team formations

Roma

Leverkusen

Features

Roma's defensive structure

Alonso played 151 games under Mourinho at Real Madrid and knows his mindset well. This first video clip highlights Roma's excellent, aggressive defensive organisation. They played with a 3-5-2 or 3-4-1-2 formation but defended high when they needed to and in a middle block. This clip shows how Roma's two forwards dropped in front of the three midfielders to disturb the Leverkusen build-up.

Roma's aggressive wide centre-back

Players moving forward from Roma's back line prevented the visitors from creating chances, as this clip shows. Roma defended with discipline in and around their box in a low block, with central defender Mancini surging forward to deal with the player in the pocket – in this case Florian Wirtz – to win the ball back for his team. Roma regained possession 16 times in this manner; Leverkusen did so on just seven occasions.

In the same clip we see Roma's shape shift to a clear 5-3-2, but Mancini is prepared to leave his place in the back five to go with any Leverkusen player. He did this several times, with Roma keeping Leverkusen contained away from their goal until they won the ball back.

If key absentees had hampered Roma's Serie A form in the run-up to this game, the Giallorossi remain impressive in Europe, just as they were in the Europa Conference League last season. In this season's knockout phase, they eliminated Salzburg, Real Sociedad (who had finished ahead of Manchester United in the group stage) and Dutch league leaders Feyenoord after extra time in the quarter-finals. Roma lost at both Salzburg and Feyenoord but their home form took them through, their excellent defence keeping clean sheets at home to Salzburg, Real Sociedad and now Leverkusen.

Roma's false wing-backs

In the next video clip, the theme is false wing-backs. Leverkusen's wing-backs look to control their Roma counterparts. For the hosts, Lorenzo Pellegrini's rotation creates space for other players to find forward options. Bove also drops deep while Roma's forward players move across each other to find space.

All six of Roma's Europa League home games this season have attracted 60,000+ crowds and the atmosphere was electric again, though Mourinho urged his side not to get too caught up in it, saying: "In the last few days I've been telling everyone to be careful. It is emotional control that gives you balance and tactical control." In this case, 'tactical control' does not necessarily mean possession: Roma only had 38% of the ball but still had 12 shots to Leverkusen's ten.

Leverkusen defended in a 5-2-3 formation, looking to control the Roma full-backs with their own. In response, Roma pushed their wing-backs high to drop into a central midfield position: a false full-back position from which to get on the ball and progress.

Roma take the direct approach

In this clip, we can see how Roma's direct approach was a key tactic. Here, the long pass forward to Abraham is supported by a high regain of possession involving five Roma players, thus creating a goal threat. At one point there are seven Roma players in the Leverkusen area.

A similar combination led to the winning goal. After the Roma goalkeeper started the attack, Mancini lifted the ball forward to Abraham, who headed back for Bove to dart forward and create a chance.

"Tactically we expected it to be like this," said Leverkusen boss Alonso. "They have clear ideas, they defend well and have two strong forwards ready for second balls, with Bove and Pellegrini between the lines, and always a clear idea of how to control the game."

Bove was the key in the first leg, leaving Mourinho a step closer to another European final. He has won his previous five continental showpieces, winning trophies with Porto, Real Madrid, Man United and Roma.

"We won the first half against a very good team, but we also produced a very good performance," he said after the first leg. They will need to play well again in Germany against a Leverkusen side who are much improved under Alonso, having risen from 17th in the Bundesliga when he took over in October to sixth and a European qualifying place.

They parachuted down to the Europa League from the UEFA Champions League group phase, and have defeated Monaco (on penalties), Ferencváros and Union SG in the knockout stages. Reaching their first European final since the 2001/02 Champions League is a tough target, but the first-leg result offers them hope.

Coaches' assessments

José Mourinho watches the first leg against LeverkusenGetty Images

José Mourinho, Roma coach: "It's all down to the boys tonight who played with desire and the right mentality. I have put in a lot of miles over the course of my career, but even I really felt the support of the fans tonight and the boys responded with the desire to make them happy. The players want to give back all the love they get from the fans on the pitch."

Xabi Alonso, Leverkusen coach: "We had two good chances in the first ten minutes. Florian [Wirtz] had a good chance where we could have scored and the result would have been better for us. But I've already said there are options for everything and the game today will help us prepare better for the second leg."

Lukas Hradecky, Leverkusen goalkeeper: "Roma were a bit more dangerous in the second half, but we had the feeling that we could beat them in their own back yard. It's not the best result for us but it could have been worse."