Following Roma’s hard-fought victory against Bayer Leverkusen, Jose Mourinho praised his players, referring to them as “warriors.”
The Italian side entered the match with a one-goal lead, understanding that a draw would secure their spot in the UEFA Europa League final after Edoardo Bove’s debut European goal in the previous leg at Stadio Olimpico.
Mourinho adopted a cautious strategy for the game at Germany’s BayArena, effectively frustrating Leverkusen, who were managed by his former player Xabi Alonso, despite their dominance throughout the match.
The manager’s admiration for his team’s resilient performance was evident as he described them as warriors.
According to Sports Illustrated, Giallorossi earned a place in the final against Sevilla, who are 100% in the Europa League finals, at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on May 31.
Mourinho filmed Roma’s dinner
The team hosted a dinner at the team hotel shortly after the game. The 60-year-old filmed it and uploaded it on Instagram with an interesting caption.
“The warriors are eating, I’m too tired for that. See you tomorrow Roma,” he captioned the video.
One thing which can be made out of the video is that the television was showing a replay of the game they had just finished, which earned the players the game warrior from the manager.
Mourinho reveals next ambition
It would take a miracle for Roma to make the top four in the Italian Serie A. They are six points behind fourth-placed Lazio with two games to go in the season.
The team could play Champions League football next season if they beat Sevilla, which is Jose’s next target.
“The final? I think of it as any other final. We want to bring the trophy home,” he told DAZN via Roma Press.
Mourinho slammed for ugly tactics
The Special One is a master of dark tactics, famously dubbed Parking the Bus. As Sports Brief reported, fans slammed Mourinho for his tactics against Leverkusen.
His team were totally dominated. The Germans enjoyed 72% of the possession and played 23 shots to Roma’s one, which was off-target, but could not find a way through.