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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Dan Marsh

Emotional Jose Mourinho in tears after Roma reach UEFA Europa Conference League final

Jose Mourinho burst into tears after AS Roma edged past Leicester to book a spot in the inaugural Europa Conference League final.

The Italian outfit broke the deadlock on the night through former Chelsea hitman Tammy Abraham, with his 11th minute goal nudging Roma into a 2-1 aggregate lead. Mourinho's side will now collide with Dutch giants Feyenoord in the final on May 25 in Albania.

It was a historic night for Mourinho, who became the first coach to take four different teams to a European final after his previous exploits with Porto, Inter Milan and Manchester United. And the 59-year-old now has a chance to go one further and end Roma's 14-year trophy drought later this month.

The Portuguese chief - who was appointed by the Italian club in a bid to win silverware last summer - was visibly emotional at the conclusion of Thursday night's crunch clash in the Stadio Olimpico. And he claimed that his emotion was for the club's fans as they celebrated a historic night.

Speaking after the match, Mourinho said: "Why did I shed a tear? Because I feel what [the fans] all feel. It’s a giant club without a trophy room for the social importance of this club. I know what it means to these people and my emotion was for them. I’ve been lucky enough to be in more prestigious finals but this made me feel very special.

"We have a sense of family. With age you become less selfish and more of a father or even a grandfather to some of them, I’m very happy for all of them. Rome is a red and yellow city, we’ll see the joy over the coming days. I’ve made a small contribution to that."

Join the debate! Do you think Mourinho will return to the Premier League in the future? Let us know here.

Mourinho burst into tears after AS Roma booked their spot in the Europa Conference League final (DAZN YouTube)

Roma's European exploits have ensured that Mourinho's first year in Rome is a success after their struggles in the league. The Italian side are currently in fifth spot and have already missed out on qualification for next year's Champions League campaign.

But after a rocky start, Mourinho has started to show why he is one of Europe's most successful coaches. And after shutting out the Foxes with a vintage Mourinho performance, the Roma boss was quick to talk up his team's displays over the two legs - even if others might see things "differently".

He added: "I think our performance was extraordinary. Others might see it differently, but when your goalkeeper makes two saves over 120 minutes against a Premier League side with so much attacking quality, it means we've done something good."

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