It took José Mourinho to bring Roma back to a European cup Final. The Giallorossi defeated Brendan Rogers’ Leicester City on Thursday night with a lone goal from Tammy Abraham to progress 2-1 on aggregate and book their ticket to the last act of the inaugural edition of the Conference League.
Roma will face Feyenoord in Tirana on May 26 to try lifting a European trophy 31 years after losing a UEFA Cup Final to Inter. It is set to be a dramatic showdown as the last time the two sides faced each other – an Europa League Round of 16 match-up in 2015 – the confrontation was spoiled by a splinter group of Dutch supporters running riot in the Italian capital.
The Giallorossi found the back of the net with their English talisman after 11 minutes and defended themselves in an organized fashion for the rest of the game. Leicester had their first real shoot on target only on 78 minutes but James Maddison’s conclusion was easily blocked by Rui Patricio.
Roma’s triumph happened under Claudio Ranieri’s eyes. The Tinkerman watched the game from the stands of the Stadio Olimpico as he could just not miss the final confrontation between the club of his heart – which he managed in two occasions – and the one with whom he pulled off one of the greatest upsets in the history of the Premier League.
In the middle of the second half, both supporter sides honored him with an emotional ovation. Ranieri stood up and waved a hand to thank the Roma and Leicester fans. That was the most touching moment in a night that the Giallorossi will not forget soon.
Roma are the last Italian club still running for a European title and the first one to feature in a Final since Juventus’ unsuccessful challenge to the Champions League throne in 2017.
Despite quite a few bumps along the way, José Mourinho’s first season in charge of Roma can still turn into a success as he may be the first one to bring some international silverware to the Giallorossi‘s cabinet trophy.