Roma see red after Leverkusen comeback sinks hopes

Bayer Leverkusen took a giant stride towards the knockout phase of the Champions League with a 3-1 Group B win over a hot-headed Roma side.

A deflected Francesco Totti free-kick gave the Italians an undeserved lead on 26 minutes but a composed Bayer turned on the style in the second half to send the Italians home with plenty to think about in the coming days.

Brazilian Robson Ponte (48), Polish international Jacek Krzynowek (59) and Franca (90) gave the Germans, finalists in 2002, the points after a heated match which left Roma with only nine players on the final whistle.

"The team now realise what is at stake and I just hope that another setback does not come along," explained Bayer handler Klaus Augenthaler.

Leverkusen now have six points and are in with a good shout of qualifying for the next stage while Roma look to be out of the competition after failing to register a point from their three European matches so far.

Roma coach Luigi Del Nieri will also have to cope with suspensions for Christian Panucci and Daniele de Rossi after the pair were both dismissed for crude challenges.

"Now I can understand why Rudi Voller packed his bags after 20 or so days," added Augenthaler.

Voller quit Roma after less than a month at the helm amid rumours of bust-ups with Antonio Cassano and Totti.

"Augenthaler should just concentrate on his team," countered Del Nieri. "We could have turned the game with ten men but then we went down to nine and it became very difficult."

With five minutes gone in the first half Bayer should have been two goals to the good with Krzynowek squirming his fourth-minute shot wide when well placed.

That was a good effort compared to Roque Junior's attempt sixty seconds later with the Brazilian World Cup winner heading wide of the goal when it appeared easier to put it in the net.

Roma were camped in their own half as the hosts turned the screw and the crossbar came to their rescue when Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov powered a goalbound header that ricocheted off the woodwork to safety.

Carsten Ramelow was managing to tame Italy forward Totti in the attacking midfield role but on 26 minutes Leverkusen were hit with the sucker punch.

Roma captain Totti drilled a free-kick that lacked any real venom but a huge deflection off Bulgarian international Berbatov looped the ball over Hans Jorg Butt.

To say it was against the run of play was an understatement and the 22,500 fans at the BayArena made their feelings known.

Their grievances were given a chance to amplify when a rash of crude challenges left six players - three from each side - confronting one another aggressively.

Bernd Schneider, Robson Ponte and Roma goalkeeper Carlo Zotti were all booked in three frantic minutes.

Augenthaler threw on Brazilian striker Franca, dropped after a poor display at the weekend, and Bayer levelled just three minutes after the interval.

Robson Ponte curled a fantastic cross in and the ball evaded everyone and nestled in the corner of the net.

Leverkusen were pumped up and in the 59th minute went ahead after Jermaine Jones, a surprise inclusion, produced a fantastic cross from the right for Krzynowek to strike a left-footed volley that dipped over Zotti in the Roma goal.

Just two minutes later Krzynowek was elbowed by Panucci, who was red-carded for the ugly offence.

Roma's best chances of reducing arrears fell to Totti whose 84th minute free-kick hit the crossbar, much to Bayer's relief.

Daniele de Rossi then put in a bone-crunching tackle on Krzynowek in the closing stages and picked up a straight red card to join Panucci for an early bath.

"I never talk about the referee," explained Del Nieri. "The fouls were clear and maybe there was a bit of fatigue kicking in."

Franca then scored in the final minute to send the Bayer fans who were frustrated in the first half on a happy trip home.