Bayer Leverkusen took a commanding lead in their Europa League semi-final with a 2-0 first-leg victory over Roma in Italy.
Florian Wirtz and Robert Andrich scored the goals for the Bundesliga champions, marking only their second win in Italy. Roma struggled to create opportunities, with striker Romelu Lukaku looking isolated before being substituted in the 80th minute.
Tammy Abraham, Roma’s substitute, missed a late chance to narrow the deficit.
After a slow start, Leverkusen took the lead when Alex Grimaldo set up Wirtz for his 18th goal of the season. Andrich then doubled the lead with a long-range strike in the second half.
The win extended Leverkusen’s unbeaten run to 47 matches in all competitions.
In the other semi-final, Marseille and Atalanta drew 1-1 at Stade Velodrome. Gianluca Scamacca put Atalanta ahead early, but Chancel Mbemba equalized with a long-range effort. Both teams had chances to score, leaving the tie open ahead of the second leg in Bergamo.