Xabi Alonso has come out to express his joy after guiding Bayer Leverkusen to their first European final in 22 years following a 4-2 aggregate win over AS Roma in the Uefa Europa League 2023/24 semi final.
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| Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso, at a press conference after his victory over Roma in the semi final of the Uefa Europa League 2023/24. Photo: @bayer04_en |
The Spanish manager said, “I am speechless but it’s totally deserved”.
In the first leg of the semi final tie, Roma lost 0-2 to Bayer Leverkusen at Stadio Olimpico, Rome, and both sides shared points at BayArena, Leverkusen, after a 2-2 result.
In his post-victory comments, Alonso said: “Over and over, I am speechless. Coming back to score once again. But I think it’s totally deserved. We created so many chances and were so close. We showed great character, they keep the confidence to do it the right way. It feels even greater to reach the final this way.
“To win a final is tougher than reaching one. We will prepare to our best abilities but this team has already shown they are ready for everything. Every player wants to play their part. We have two finals now, first Atalanta and then Kaiserslautern.”
Bayer Leverkusen will lock horns with Atalanta in the final of the UEL 2023/24 at Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, on Wednesday 22 May, 2024.
