Roman empire conquered: Leverkusen's triumph at the Olimpico!

The aroma of great football nights was omnipresent in the Stadio Olimpico when Bayer 04 Leverkusen met AS Roma. What a night, what a game! Bayer not only underpinned its ambitions for the final in Dublin with a 2:0 triumph, but also wrote a piece of football history.

The Werkself showed a mature, controlled performance right from the start. They took control early on in the game, despite the high pressing of the Romans. While Rome hit the crossbar with their first big chance through Romelu Lukaku, Leverkusen did better: Florian Wirtz, who not only scored a goal that evening but also set a new personal record in the UEFA Europa League, put the Werkself ahead.

The real highlight of the game, however, was Robert Andrich's moment of magic. Almost a year after breaking his metatarsal in the same stadium, he made it 2-0 with a brilliant long-range shot, a goal as sweet as the revenge Andrich served up in the place where he once experienced such bitter moments.

After the game, Xabi Alonso praised his team's disciplined and mature performance. The Spaniard emphasised the importance of the defence, which allowed Leverkusen to create many of their own chances. Granit Xhaka, who was already looking ahead to the second leg in Leverkusen, also emphasised the importance of the two goals scored for the upcoming encounter.

The press was full of praise: Wirtz and Andrich were hailed as the protagonists on Leverkusen's road to the final. The "Rheinische Post" and "Bild" even said that Leverkusen had opened the door to the final wide open.

A look into the near future shows that the Werkself have no time to rest on their laurels. Eintracht Frankfurt await them in the Bundesliga next Sunday before the decisive second leg against Rome. But with the performance on show and the return to Leverkusen for the second leg, fans should be confident that their team will keep the dream of Dublin alive.

Next week will show whether Leverkusen can capitalise on the momentum and fulfil the hopes of all black and red. But one thing is certain: the spirit of Rome will live on in the minds of the players and fans - as a sweet memory of a night in which Bayer 04 not only won a football match, but also wrote a piece of history once again.