KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTING —- Jose Mourinho, the serial trophy winner sacked two and a half years ago by Manchester United, reclaimed his aura by steering Roma to success in the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League.

Roma, a club infamous down all the years for outlandish but vain ambition, defeated Feyenoord 1-0 in the Albanian capital of Tirana with a first-half goal from Nicolo Zaniolo. Almost ridiculously, Roma did so by recovering from a shattering 6-1 defeat by Norway’s Bodo/Glimt in the group stage last autumn.

Mourinho, who has won five out of five European finals in his career, said: “This is a competition we believed we could win since the start. I knew the moment I arrived what it meant to the people.

That winning feeling for Roma

“They had been waiting for something like this. This was not work tonight, this was history. We had to write history. We wrote it.”

Roma are the first Italian team to win a UEFA club competition since Internazionale won the Champions League in 2010 under Mourinho. The last time the Giallorossi paraded a European trophy was the old Fairs Cup, long-ago forerunner of the Europa League, back in 1961.

Their latest success was built on a foundation of individual stories from not only Mourinho but match-winner Zaniolo having overcome two major knee injuries, leftback Leonardo Spinazzola whose Euro campaign was halted by injury in last year’s finals and by England exiles Tammy Abraham at centre-forward and Chris Smalling in the centre of defence.

American owner

A victory to reward the investment of billionaire American owner Dan Friedkin was also the club’s first silverware since the 2008 Coppa Italia.

Dutch side Feyenoord, who last won the UEFA Cup in 2002, dominated the early possession but failed to create any meaningful chances. Roma played a typical Mourinho-style holding game before snatching the lead in the 32nd minute. Zaniolo darted in from the left to chest down a cross from Roger Ibanez and score.

Feyenoord keeper Justin Bijlow saved well from Smalling before the Dutchmen ended the half by creating, and spurning, their first real chances from Orkun Kokcu and Cyriel Dessers.

The former world and European champions were close to an equaliser  as they threatened to overwhelm Roma after the interval. Roma defender Gianluca Mancini deflected a short corner onto a post then goalkeeper Rui Patricio finger-tipped a drive from Lutsharel Geertruida onto the woodwork.

Roma claimed a penalty in vain in the 54th minutes when Abraham was pulled back by last defender Marcos Senesi, apparently unnoticed by the officials.

Smalling blocked efforts from Kokcu and Dessers in the increasingly frantic closing exchanges when Bryan Linssen missed from close range.

The teams:

Roma: Rui Patrício – Mancini, Smalling, Ibañez – Mkhitaryan (Sérgio Oliveira 17), Cristante – Karsdorp (Vina 89), Zaniolo (Veretout 67), Pellegrini, Zalewski (Spinazzola 67) – Abraham (Shomurodov 89).

Feyenoord: Bijlow – Geertruida, Trauner (Pedersen 74), Senesi, Malacia (Jahanbakhsh 88) – Til (Toornstra 59), Aursnes, Orkun Kökçü (Wålemark 88) – Nelson (Linssen 74), Dessers, Sinisterra.

Referee: Kovacs (Romania)

UEFA awards:

2021/22 UEFA Europa Conference League Team of the Season 

UEFA’s Technical Observers have selected their all-star team from the 2021/22 UEFA Europa Conference League.

UEFA.com: https://bit.ly/3m7sOax

Lorenzo Pellegrini named UEFA Europa Conference League Player of the Season 

UEFA’s Technical Observer Panel has named Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini as the 2021/22 UEFA Europa Conference League Player of the Season.

UEFA.com: https://bit.ly/3a1KvoP

Luis Sinisterra named UEFA Europa Conference League Young Player of the Season

UEFA’s Technical Observer Panel has named Feyenoord’s Luis Sinisterra as the 2021/22 UEFA Europa Conference League Young Player of the Season.

UEFA.com: https://bit.ly/3N9Oyyp

2021/22 UEFA Europa Conference League Goal of the Season: Dimitri Payet heads experts’ top ten 

UEFA’s Technical Observer panel have named Dimitri Payet’s stunning long-range strike at home to PAOK in the quarter-finals as their Goal of the Season.

UEFA.com: https://bit.ly/3wS47ou

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