Not for the first time in recent weeks, Xabi Alonso’s Bundesliga champions looked set to taste their maiden defeat of the season only to somehow fight back.
They took a 2-0 lead into the second leg on home soil, but Leandro Paredes scored twice from the penalty spot to draw the Italians level on aggregate.
Leverkusen got themselves back in front in the tie in the 82nd minute via an own goal from Gianluca Mancini, but it wasn’t until the seventh minute of injury time that Stanisic found the bottom corner to make it 4-2 on aggregate.
By extending their run to 49 games unbeaten, Leverkusen broke Benfica’s record for the longest sequence without defeat by a top-flight European team in all competitions.
Roma now turn their attention back to Serie A, where Champions League qualification is still in play for the capital club who, as a result of Italy being granted an extra spot in next year’s competition, could snag it by finishing fifth.
AAP
