Bayer Leverkusen and Roma have produced a thrilling eight-goal encounter in their Champions League Group E clash, both sides coming back from two goals down for a final score of 4-4 at the BayArena.
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The hosts were given a sterling opportunity to take the lead after just three minutes when Vassilios Torosidis handled the ball inside the Giallorossi box, prompting the referee to award a penalty.
Javier Hernandez stepped up and confidently powered his spot kick into the bottom left corner to put his side ahead, much to the delight of the home crowd.
It would get even better for Leverkusen because, in the 20th minute, Chicharito was on hand again to get the ball in the back of the Roma net, stabbing home from a rebound to double his side's lead.
The fightback for Rudi Garcia's charges, bottom of the group and in dire need of securing a result to stay in the competition, began on the half-hour mark through Daniele de Rossi, who scored with a shot from inside the box after latching on to a headed pass from Konstantinos Manolas.
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The inspired Hernandez nearly restored his side's two-goal advantage moments later when he connected with a cross and thumped a header goalwards, but his effort flew just over the bar.
Nevertheless, parity was restored in the 38th minute courtesy of the evergreen De Rossi, as Miralem Pjanic's precise ball was lashed past the goalkeeper and inside the right post by the Roma talisman.
The Giallorossi were a different proposition altogether after the restart, with De Rossi, Pjanic and Gervinho all testing Bernd Leno in quick succession.
When the visitors were awarded a free kick from Christoph Kramer's foul in the 53rd minute, Pjanic stepped up and duly curled the ball inside the right-hand post and into the net to edge his side into the lead for the first time in the game.
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Roma's remarkable turnaround from two goals down appeared to be all but confirmed in the 73rd minute when Iago Falque edged into some space inside the box to get on the end of a pass from Gervinho before drilling the ball into the middle of the net.
Roger Schmidt's charges, however, did not let their heads down, and got back to within a goal in the 85th minute through Kevin Kampl, who unleashed a ferocious strike from the edge of the box that ricocheted in off the crossbar.
The Giallorossi began to panic as their opponents smelled blood and, just a minute later, the hosts were level once again when Wendell's precise pass into the box found Admir Mehmedi, who coolly struck the ball into the back of the net from close range.
A topsy-turvy match eventually finished with both sides sharing the spoils, as Leverkusen edge up to second in Group E following BATE Borisov's 2-0 home defeat to Barcelona, while Roma remain bottom but sit just a point behind the third-placed Belarusians.
Giuseppe Labellarte
