Status: 11:06 p.m
AS Roma’s Nicolò Zaniolo (r) celebrates his goal
Those: dpa / Alfredo Falcone
AS Roma has won the first final of the new Conference League. Against Feyenoord Rotterdam, however, the Italians had to tremble in the second half. Coach José Mourinho set a historic mark.
JOsé Mourinho has guided AS Roma to their first European Cup triumph in 51 years and became the first manager to win titles in the three current European football club competitions. In the premiere final of the newly created Conference League, Roma trembled to a 1-0 (1-0) win over Feyenoord Rotterdam in Tirana on Wednesday evening. In front of 21,690 spectators, Nicolo Zaniolo’s goal in the 32nd minute decided the final that only became exciting in the second half.
Star coach Mourinho maintained his flawless final record. After triumphs with FC Porto in the UEFA Cup in 2003 and in the Champions League in 2004, with Inter Milan in the premier class in 2010 and with Manchester United in the Europa League in 2017, he won his fifth European Cup final.
The Portuguese had already shed a few tears after entering the final. After all, the Roma’s yearning for another European title had lasted since 1961, when they triumphed in the long-forgotten Fairs Cup.
Spurred on by thousands of fans, the Romans got more out of the game in Tirana in the first half. With typical Mourinho tactics, the sixth in Serie A relied on control from a secure defence. Because Feyenoord did little offensively, the first half was uneventful for a long time. Only the early end for the injured ex-Dortmunder Henrich Mchitarjan with the Romans moved people’s minds.
With the first successful offensive action, Roma then took the lead. Rotterdam’s Gernot Trauner underestimated Gianluca Mancini’s high pass, the lurking Zaniolo pushed in deliberately.
José Mourinho led his team to victory
Those: AP / Antonio Calanni
Feyenoord came out of the dressing room as if transformed. First, a defensive attempt by Mancini after a Dutch corner landed on his own post, then Rome keeper Rui Patricio parried Guus Til’s follow-up shot (47′). Three minutes later, the keeper deflected Tyrell Malacia’s powerful shot just over the bar.
Mourinho’s team survived this phase only with effort and luck, and the Romans were rarely able to provide relief. But Feyenoord didn’t take advantage of his chances to equalize and ended up empty-handed.
Fighting in front of the stadium
The night before the final, riots broke out in Tirana between the police and groups of fans from both teams. As the AP news agency reported, 19 police officers and five other people were injured. A police officer was reportedly injured with a knife. There were also fights in the stadium before kick-off, and several Feyenoord fans had to leave the arena.
The Albanian capital was expecting 100,000 fans from both countries for the final – but both clubs were only entitled to 4,000 tickets each, and the National Arena holds 20,000 people. “If the trend continues, we will have to think about bigger stadiums in the future,” said UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin. At the premiere of the competition, the head of the association said: “The inaugural season went beyond expectations.”
