Rome, May 6 (US): Jose Mourinho could easily have been mistaken for one of the 70,000 fans inside the Stadio Olimpico, waving at the seam line in a black jacket and gray hooded sweatshirt.
The outspoken Portuguese coach had told Roma fans before the Europa League semi-final that they should not come to the stadium just to “watch” the match, but to “play it”.
Well, the fans did their part by creating a stifling raucous atmosphere for the 90 minutes and Mourinho did his job of guiding Roma to a 1-0 win (2-1 on aggregate) over Leicester on Thursday and a place in the final, according to reports. AP.
This would be Mourinho’s fifth European final – and he has won all four of which he has coached so far – over nearly two decades: the 2003 UEFA Cup and the 2004 Champions League final with Porto; 2010 UEFA Champions League Final with Inter Milan; And the 2017 European League final with Manchester United.
Mourinho is already the first coach to reach the UEFA Final with four different clubs (Porto, Inter, United and Roma).
What’s more, if Mourinho manages to coach Roma to beat Feyenoord in the May 25 final in Tirana, Albania, he would become the third coach to win three different UEFA competitions after Giovanni Trapattoni and Udo Latic – who won the European Cup. European Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup.
Mourinho’s match was typical: Roma advanced through a Tammy Abraham header in the first half and then barely held the Gilorossi and defended in the second.
It may not have been pretty – Mourinho’s teams rarely are – but the tactic worked.
While Roma are fifth in Serie A and have missed places in the Champions League, the inaugural edition of the Third Division Conference made Mourinho’s first season in Rome already successful.
This will be Roma’s first final in Europe since losing the 1991 European Cup to local rivals Inter Milan.
Roma also lost their only other continental final, after a penalty shootout against Liverpool in the 1984 European Cup at home.
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