AS Roma head Coach Jose Mourinho created history last night (May 18) as his team reached their second successive European final.
AS Roma defeated Bayer Leverkusen with a 1-0 aggregate scoreline after a goalless draw at the BayArena, Germany.
The Romans put up their hearts and soul to defend a one-goal lead against the Germans, they sat deep inside their half and defended with their bodies on the line to survive the hosts' relentless attacks on goal.
Despite their 23 attempts on goal with only six on target, the Germans could not find a way to beat Rui Patricio. Meanwhile, Roma had zero shots on target throughout the 90 minutes.
It must be noted that before the arrival of Mourinho in 2021, Roma had only played one European final in their club history in 1984 against Liverpool which they lost on penalties.
However, since Mourinho’s arrival, the club has participated in two European competitions (UEFA Conference League and UEFA Europa League) and have qualified for the final of both while winning the former.
Leverkusen midfielder Kerem Demirbay was visibly frustrated with the tactics of Roma and lashed out at Mourinho while speaking to RTL after the match: "It’s a shame that in a semi-final at such a high level that this type of play can be rewarded. They made things very ugly at the end."
Mourinho, who is known for his trademark celebratory run on the pitch after winning a knockout game, refrained himself from doing that, when asked why did he not do that, he said that it is difficult to celebrate in front of your friends.
“To tell you the truth, it’s very hard for me to come up against my friends because while you may forget during the game, it’s tough afterwards. I don’t like celebrating in front of my guys and the person doing an extraordinary job out there, Xabi, is one of mine. That’s why I struggle," he said.
It must be noted that Leverkusen’s manager Xabi Alonso was managed by Mourinho during his Real Madrid days from 2010-2013.
AS Roma will face Sevilla in the Europa League final on May 31 at the Puskas Arena, Hungary.