Josip Stanisic claims Bayer Leverkusen would have been satisfied with losing at home to Roma on Thursday night if it meant they had still qualified for the Europa League final.
A 2-0 win in the first leg at the Stadio Olimpico meant a one-goal defeat in the second leg of the semi-finals would see Xabi Alonso’s side qualify, such a result ending their dreams of a season unbeaten. In short, it looked like they would not only lose the game, but also leave Europe, as two Leandro Paredes shootouts levelled the score midway through the second half at the BayArena.
An unfortunate own goal from Gianluca Mancini gave Leverkusen a 3-2 aggregate lead, but 2-1 in the evening. However, in the 7th minute, substitute Stanisic equalized to give him an additional rest.
The 2-2 draw in Germany means Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 49 matches in all competitions, surpassing the 48 set against Benfica in the early 1960s. They only have 4 games left to play and are aiming to finish a season undefeated, but Stanisic doesn’t think it would have hurt him too much if he hadn’t known how to draw late.
When asked if tonight was the biggest night of his career, Stanisic said, according to ESPN: “Definitely one of them. We knew what was at stake, we were looking to go through to the final and I think today it showed during the 90 minutes. “. .
“I don’t think it would have been different if we had lost and taken a step forward because we were looking to go through to the final, but it’s even better that way. “Stanisic, on loan from Bayern Munich, also scored a deep goal in the stoppage. It’s time to salvage a point against Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.
Leverkusen will now face Atalanta in the final, after the Italian side beat Marseille. Ademola Lookman, Matteo Ruggeri and El Bilal Toure scored to seal a 4-1 aggregate win for Gian Piero Gaspeini’s side, who had eliminated Liverpool in the past. the competition.
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Next up for Leverkusen is to visit relegation-threatened Bochum before completing their Bundesliga season at home to Augsburg. Then came two finals: Atalanta in Dublin on May 22 and second-tier Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final.
“As a result, we will play two finals in one week,” Alonso said after the Roma game. “We showed a lot of character after his second goal. Then I looked my players in the eye and saw that they were looking for more.
“We still have to win 3 titles. And my boys deserve the 3 titles,” added the former Spanish midfielder, who is still in his first full season at Leverkusen.
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