After their painful failure to reach the Europa League semi-finals, Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso has shown himself to be a fair sportsman.

“I don’t want to cry, we congratulate AS Roma on reaching the final,” said the Spaniard after the heated but goalless second leg in the sold-out BayArena.

He was “proud” of his players, Alonso stressed, despite the bitter disappointment, “they gave everything until the end.” Although Moussa Diaby, Florian Wirtz and Co. created a clear surplus of chances, they were ultimately unlucky, as in the first leg (0:1), against the tightly packed defensive bulwark of Rome coach Jose Mourinho. The dream of a first European final for the Werkself in 21 years was shattered.

“We played with concentration, were well prepared and competitive,” said Alonso, but the “big difference” was the golden goal by Rome’s own Edoardo Bove in the first leg.

The Bayer coach then turned his gaze to the future. “We have to keep going,” the Spaniard appealed and affirmed: “Cheer up and keep going.”

On Sunday, the Werkself, who are now winless in five games, will host their rivals from the Rhineland, Mönchengladbach, in the Bundesliga. Three points are a must there if the seventh-placed team in the standings wants to keep its chance of reaching the international stage in the coming season in the long-distance duel with VfL Wolfsburg, who are level on points.