Jose Mourinho insists he never had any doubt his Roma side will come out on top of an intense away clash against newly-promoted Salernitana. Despite being held to a goalless half-time draw at the Stadio Arechi, I Giallorossi mustered up four second-half goals to dismantle Campana minnows 4-0 on Sunday night.
Roma went into proceedings as overwhelming favorites to beat Salernitana following a 3-1 thumping of Fiorentina on the opening weekend. However, it was not plain sailing for Mourinho’s side despite a landslide margin. The Rome-based outfit experienced several difficulties in the first half, but they managed to hit their stride post the restart.
Captain Lorenzo Pellegrini draw first blood three minutes into the second half, with Jordan Vertout doubling Roma’s lead only four times later. From that moment on, it was all Giallorossi.
Tammy Abraham, who arrived from Chelsea to replace Edin Dzeko, got off the mark in the 69th minute with a wonderful first-time effort from just inside the box. The Englishman’s first strike in Serie A was a thing of beauty. The same goes for Pellegrini’s second of the evening.
The Italian curled the ball around the keeper to seal Roma’s 4-0 triumph and propel Mourinho to a flying start to his new adventure in Serie A.
Earlier in the summer, the Special One pointed out he has not returned to Italy as a tourist, insisting I Giallorossi will have their say in the title rice upon his arrival at the helm. So far, Mourinho has kept his promise as Roma look like a team to beat.
During the post-match interview, the Portuguese manager outlined he did not doubt his players for a second despite Salernitana’s spirited first-half display.
“We dominated this match. It was impossible not to win this,” Mourinho said as relayed by TUTTOmercatoWEB.
“I was perfectly calm from the first minute. The team played really well. I told them that I was worried when we were in the lead against Fiorentina and more relaxed once they equalized. Again tonight, we dominated the match.
“Some might argue we didn’t create many chances in the first half, but we didn’t allow any at the other end either. We were in total control and did what we wanted with the ball, tiring Salernitana out, moving them around, and using the passing channels we practiced yesterday in training.“