Staff Reporter.
AS Roma grabbed a 1-0 home victory over Bayer Leverkusen in their Europa League semifinal first leg on Thursday thanks to 20-year-old Edoardo Bove’s second-half goal.
Roma youth product Bove stabbed in the winner on the rebound in the 63rd minute after Tammy Abraham’s shot was saved by Leverkusen keeper Lukas Hradecky.
The visitors came close to an equaliser towards the end of a scrappy second half but Jeremie Frimpong’s 87th-minute shot was blocked on the line.
Roma, bidding to win back-to-back European titles under coach Jose Mourinho following last season’s Europa Conference League triumph, travel to Leverkusen next week for the return leg.
The winners will face Juventus or Sevilla in the final.
Meanwhile Federico Gatti headed home in the 97th minute to earn Juventus a 1-1 draw against Sevilla in their Europa League semifinal first leg on Thursday.
Youssef En-Nesyri gave the record six-time champions the lead in the first half and they seemed set to take that advantage back to Seville before Gatti’s late intervention.