José Mourinho’s Roma survive Bayer Leverkusen onslaught to reach final

José Mourinho will have a chance to claim a sixth European trophy after Roma reached the Europa League final by holding Bayer Leverkusen to a 0-0 draw.

Roma went through 1-0 on aggregate after winning the first leg of the semi-final at home.

The visitors were on the backfoot for the entire game and had to survive intense pressure from the Germans, who missed a host of chances. Leverkusen forward Moussa Diaby hit the crossbar early and Roma goalkeeper Rui Patrício was busy at times but Roma’s defence held firm.

Mourinho is looking for back-to-back European titles with Roma after winning the inaugural edition of the Europa Conference League last season. He has won the Europa League — or UEFA Cup as it was previously known — with both Porto and Manchester United and also has two Champions League titles.

Winning the Europa League could also be the only chance for Roma to qualify for next season’s Champions League. The final takes place on 31 May in Budapest.