Jose Mourinho has been involved in too many prestigious finals, but perhaps none of them made him this emotional as taking AS Roma to the final of the European Conference League 2022. Soon after the whistle blew, Mourinho burst into tears as Roma just about managed to hold on to a one-goal advantage provided by Tammy Abraham.
The first leg-fixture between Roma and Leicester City ended in a 1-1 draw. It was a typical defensive masterclass from Mourinho’s side, as they shut shops after Abraham’s header in the 11th minute gave them an early lead.
With this win, Mourinho etched his name in record books by becoming the first manager to reach the European final with four different teams. Previously, he has won the Champions League with Porto and Inter Milan, and the Europa League with Manchester United.
In the post-match interview, the manager said: “Why did I shed a tear? Because I feel what [the fans] all feel. It’s a giant club without a trophy room for the social importance of this club.”
“I know what it means to these people and my emotion was for them. I’ve been lucky enough to be in more prestigious finals but this made me feel very special.”
This is the inaugural edition of the Europa Conference League final, a third-tier European tournament that aims to give an opportunity to clubs from lower-ranked nations.
Jose Mourinho credited everyone inside the stadium for AS Roma’s victory. “It’s a victory of a family. Not just the one that was on the pitch and on the bench, but also inside the stadium. That is our greatest achievement, this empathy and sense of family we have created with the fans.”
Roma will now face Feyenoord in the summit clash, on May in Albania.
