Roma beat Feyenoord to win inaugural Europa Conference League

Jose Mourinho’s Roma win first main European title in additional than 60 years with 1-0 victory over Feyenoord in Tirana.

AS Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini lifts the Europa Conference League trophy
Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini lifts the Europa Convention League trophy [Marko Djurica/Reuters]

Nicolo Zaniolo’s purpose earned AS Roma its first main European title in additional than 60 years after a 1-0 win over Feyenoord within the Europa Convention League closing in Albania, finishing a novel European trophy haul for Jose Mourinho.

Roma coach Mourinho, who had beforehand gained the Champions League, Europa League and the UEFA Cup with different golf equipment, can now add the third-tier European title – the Italian aspect’s first trophy in 14 years – to his medal tally.

The 22-year-old Zaniolo earned Roma victory on Wednesday with an expertly-taken end within the thirty second minute, as he grew to become the primary Italian to attain in a European closing since Filippo Inzaghi in opposition to Liverpool within the 2007 Champions League.

Roma, whose solely earlier continental title was the previous Festivals Cup in 1961, held off a spirited comeback from their Dutch opponents, who had been twice denied by the woodwork within the second half.

That ensured that Mourinho grew to become the primary supervisor to win a European trophy with 4 completely different golf equipment, after earlier successes at Porto, Inter Milan and Manchester United.

“We're an actual workforce, we proved that. Now we now have to have fun after which begin once more, which is all the time troublesome after an excellent victory, however an actual workforce wins, celebrates and begins once more,” Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini advised Sky Sport Italia.

“I mentioned yesterday that I by no means would’ve imagined on the age of 25 to attain this with the Roma jersey and the captain’s armband. It's a fantastic second.”

“Right now wasn’t work, this was historical past,” Mourinho mentioned. “Both you write it otherwise you don’t and we wrote it. I’ve been at Roma for 11 months and I realised the second I arrived what it meant – that they had been ready for this.”

Provided that each Roma and Feyenoord got here into the competition having already secured Europa League soccer for subsequent season by their home league place, it was all concerning the glory in Tirana.

Early on it seemed like there was solely going to be one winner, as Roma dominated the opening exchanges, with out troubling Feyenoord goalkeeper Justin Bijlow, taking part in his first match since March 10.

One likelihood was all they wanted to carry the lead on the interval, with Zaniolo brilliantly bringing the ball down on his chest earlier than slotting residence his first purpose in all competitions since a hat-trick within the quarter-finals in opposition to Bodo/Glimt.

Zaniolo additionally grew to become the youngest Italian to attain in a significant European closing since Alessandro Del Piero in opposition to Borussia Dortmund within the Champions League in Might 1997.

Feyenoord, seeking to be the primary Dutch membership to win a European competitors in 20 years, since their 2002 UEFA Cup triumph, failed to actually take a look at Rui Patricio within the Roma purpose within the opening interval.

But they began the second half brightly, with Roma’s Gianluca Mancini diverting an early Feyenoord nook onto his personal put up.

The Dutch aspect stored coming and hit the woodwork once more as Tyrell Malacia’s very good strike from 25 metres was tipped onto the put up by Patricio.

Additional possibilities got here and went, however some last-ditch blocks and wasteful ending ensured Roma’s lengthy look ahead to a European trophy would finish in Mourinho’s first season within the Italian capital.

“We actually wished to take that cup with us, to thank the supporters and to place Feyenoord again on the map, sadly it didn’t work out like that,” Bijlow mentioned.

“We put the strain on them and you then noticed they'd hassle coping with us. However sadly it wasn’t adequate. It’s particularly horrible that we will’t take the cup to Rotterdam.”

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