Iconic tactician Jose Mourinho etched his name ever further into the history books of European football on Thursday night.
‘Mou’, of course, guided his troops back into action a short time ago.
After being forced to settle for a 1-1 stalemate in the first-leg of the club’s Europa Conference League semi-final showdown with Leicester City last week, AS Roma welcomed Brendan Rodgers’ side to the Stadio Olimpico, eyeing a spot in the competition’s first-ever final.
And, when all was said and done, march on to the Tirana showpiece is precisely what the evening’s hosts managed.
A solitary goal ultimately proved enough to guide Roma past a plucky Leicester, forthcoming inside the opening quarter of an hour when Tammy Abraham rose highest to nod home his 25th goal of the campaign:
TAMMY ABRAHAM! WHAT A HEADER! ?
A fantastic corner from Lorenzo Pellegrini is fiercely met by Roma’s number nine ?
Incredible start at the Olimpico! ?#UECL pic.twitter.com/HkXukUDGNe
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 5, 2022
And, as alluded to above, in the process of setting the stage for another special European night, Jose Mourinho continued to write his name into football folklore.
As per statisticians Opta, the Portuguese has become the first manager in history to reach the finale of a major European competition with four different clubs:
4 – José Mourinho is the first manager to reach the final of a major European competition with four different clubs, having done so with Porto (UEFA Cup & Champions League), Inter (Champions League), Man Utd (Europa League) and now Roma (Europa Conference League). Special. pic.twitter.com/fTRYaCVA6k
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 5, 2022
Feyenoord line in wait
Standing in the way of Mourinho and his Giallorossi troops in their hopes of becoming the first-ever Conference League champions, though, will be Feyenoord.
After putting Olympique Marseille to the sword by three goals to two in the Netherlands last week, a goalless 2nd-leg draw proved enough to guide Feyenoord through their own final-four tie, setting the stage for what will no doubt prove a wonderful evening’s entertainment in Tirana on May 25th.
? The first-ever #UECLfinal is set!
Roma ? Feyenoord #UECL pic.twitter.com/g8eCYUI9Ve
— UEFA Europa Conference League (@europacnfleague) May 5, 2022
Rangers’ James Tavernier makes European history with opener vs RB Leipzig
Player ratings, fan reaction & more: West Ham’s European dream ended as superb Eintracht march on
