- Roma beat Leverkusen 1-0
- Bove scored the winning goal
- Dybala & Wijnaldum used as substitutes
WHAT HAPPENED? The Serie A outfit grabbed a slender 1-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen courtesy of a goal from 20-year-old Edoardo Bove just after the hour mark at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday evening. The Roma youth product was alert to score on the rebound after Leverkusen keeper Lukas Hradecky saved Tammy Abraham's shot.
However, it was hardly a comfortable win for the hosts. Xabi Alonso's side looked threatening throughout the match and even came close to an equaliser in the 87th minute when Jeremie Frimpong's shot was blocked on the line.
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WHAT THEY SAID: Mourinho has hence warned his side after the match in a chat with Sky Sports where he said, "It wasn't an easy match also because mentally it was very difficult to play against a team like Bayer. The lads were good at winning this first half, but we haven't done anything yet."
However, he lavished praise on the young goal-scorer and hailed his maturity as a player: "He (Bove) is a boy with a great education, he is a professional who seems to be 30 years old. He is humble, last year, he played five minutes, this year he has increased his playing time. He knows how to control the game and his emotions better than him. Even without knowing his loved ones, he will certainly have a family of the highest level.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Roma stars Paulo Dybala and Georginio Wijnaldum could not start the match and were instead brought on as substitutes as they have still not achieved full match fitness. However, Mourinho hopes that they can be given more important roles next week in Germany, provided they continue on the right track with their recovery.
“It's hard to manage these situations, too many injuries. I haven't talked to the boys yet but if nothing serious happens, let's see if we can get them to play as early as next Thursday," he stated.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
Getty Images
Getty Images
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT? Roma will be back in action against Bologna on Sunday in Serie A before travelling to Germany for the return leg of the Europa League semi-final against Leverkusen next Thursday.
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