Heartbreak for Leicester City as A.S. Roma reign in Rome
By ITV News Central Production Journalist Arun Lal
Leicester City dreams of a first European final end as A.S. Roma reign in Rome.
Both sides had it all to play for when they met at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Thursday (May 5).
As predicted the atmosphere was electric inside the stadium as both sets of fans cheered on their teams.
Our reporter Mark Kielesz-Levine was inside to soak up the noise as the players warmed up.
Just like the first-leg A.S. Roma and Leicester City started with their strongest line-ups available to them.
Again, similar to last weeks game the sides attacked each other from the first minute.
But, it was Roma who struck the first blow as former Aston Villa striker Tammy Abraham towered above everyone at a corner to nod the ball into the goal in the 11th minute.
The foxes pushed on soon after knowing any let up would see this tie get away from them.
Brendan Rodgers' men tried their hardest to level up the game by playing the ball wide to their wingers Ademola Lookman and Harvey Barnes and whipping crosses into the box for Jamie Vardy to latch onto.
The crosses, however, were met by the heads of the Roma defenders who cleared the ball away.
At half-time the Italian side still had the lead in the game and in the tie.
After the break, the foxes manager called for changes to get his team back into the match.
Ademola Lookman and Harvey Barnes out - Kelechi Iheanacho and Daniel Amartey in.
Leicester City looked to get control of the midfield - while added another attacking option.
The changes meant Leicester went on the attack from the get go.
The Giallorossi adopted a more defensive style, sitting back and countering on the side from the East Midlands - something we've become familiar with from a Jose Mourinho team.
Kelechi Iheanacho came close to equalising with a long range strike from outside the box but it ended up being a comfortable save for former Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Rui Patrico.
Despite Leicester City's best efforts it wasn't enough and the foxes tasted defeat - meaning they were unable to reach their first ever European final.
A.S. Roma's victory mean they will face Dutch side Feyenoord Rotterdam in the final in Albania on May 25.
It's after Feyenoord held French side Marseille to a nil nil draw meaning the won 3-2 overall in their semi-final tie.
For Leicester City, they currently sit 11th in the Premier League and with 5 games remaining for the foxes, their chances of making it into Europe again next season are slim.
They'd need to win majority of those games and hope those above them, Wolves, Brighton, Newcastle and West Ham United fail to win their remaining games.
Despite that, Brendan Rodgers and his team can feel proud of their achievement this season by reaching the club's first ever European semi-final.