Jose Mourinho will have the opportunity to win a sixth European championship, but in order to do so, his Roma team must prevent Sevilla from earning a record-breaking seventh Europa League championship.
Following the kind of organised defensive display that Mourinho’s sides have come to be famed for, Roma won a 0-0 draw against Bayer Leverkusen in Germany on Thursday to advance to the Europa League final. After winning the first leg of the semifinal at home, the Italian club advanced 1-0 on the overall score. Sevilla, a six-time winner, will take on Roma after eliminating Juventus with a 2-1 victory in extra time to avoid an all-Italian final. After falling behind 1-0 at home in the second half, Erik Lamela, a replacement, set up the equaliser that forced extra time and then headed in the game-winning goal in the 95th minute.
On May 31, the final will be held in Budapest, the capital of Hungary.
After winning the inaugural Europa Conference League with Roma last season, Mourinho is attempting to win back-to-back European championships with the Italian club. Along with two Champions League victories, he has also won the Europa League with Porto and Manchester United. Mourinho added, “I don’t know if I can ask anything more from Roma but these guys deserve something extraordinary. It’s a wonderful squad. — AP
West Ham in final of the Conference League
West Ham defeated AZ in Alkmaar 1-0 in the second leg of the Europa Conference League semifinals, and Pablo Fornals’ late goal advanced the EPL team to a European championship for the first time in 47 years. When several Dutch fans attempted to enter the area designated for the friends and relatives of the visiting players, the aftermath was marred by crowd disturbance. The final will pit West Ham against Fiorentina.