Jose Mourinho got there. After three unsuccessful attempts, Special One finally managed to beat the Norwegian team from Bodø/Glimt. Indeed, AS Roma lost 6 to 1 on October 21 against their pet peeve in the group stage of the Europa League. In the second leg, La Louve conceded a 2-2 draw at home on 4 November. A few months later, the two teams met in the quarter-finals of the C3. Again, the Giallorossi broke their teeth as they were beaten 2-1 in the first leg on April 7th. Back to the wall, the Roman club finally won 4-0 in the return leg yesterday.
Mourinho left with the match ball
A victory acquired thanks to a goal from Abraham and a hat-trick from Zaniolo. But after the meeting, it was not the Italian who recovered the ball. Indeed, it was José Mourinho who went to take the ball as indicated ESPN (see tweet below). Happy and relieved to finally beat this tough opponent, the Special One confided after the victory: “When a team doesn’t lose three games in a row, you can analyze why or lose your sense of reality. The first time was a disaster for us, but we played with 2 starters. The second game here at home we played with a team that was not complete and it was a good draw for them”.
Jose Mourinho keeping the ball 4-0 up against FK Bodø ???? pic.twitter.com/AokagjeGRq
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 14, 2022
He continued: “the last game they won 2-1 and maybe they thought it would be the same on the return. The reality is that they won 6-1, won 2-1 and drew 2-2, well done to them. But today we saw the reality and the reality is that Roma are much superior (…) Even after the first leg 2-1, I was confident. The merit was to focus only on the field. It is unacceptable to have won against this team only in the fourth game, but we won the one that counted”.
He regaled in front of the journalists
The former Chelsea manager then responded to criticism of his team’s style of play. “Playing well and winning is perfect, fantastic. You don’t like to play well and lose. I think we are playing a lot better than people are saying. I watched the game against Salernitana again at the office and we played very well. It’s too easy to say that we play with the character, the mentality. Today there were no debates, we were the strongest. At halftime, I told the boys that it was not about humiliating, thinking about scoring 6 goals. It was about wanting to go to the semi-finals.
The last Italian representative in the European Cup, the club from the capital is on a mission for Mourinho. “We are the only Italian club in Europe? Yes, and we are ready to carry the flag until the end”. For this, the Wolf will count on Nicolo Zaniolo. An element that the Portuguese broods. “Zaniolo? He is a player who sells, sells a lot (of newspapers). He plays, he does not play, he is injured. We talk too much about him. It would be better for us, for him, for Italian football, to leave him alone. Tomorrow it will be on the front page for a good reason”. Just like Roma, who finally managed to beat that Bodø/Glimt team that gave José Mourinho so many headaches.
