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NICOLO ZANIOLO SCORES ONLY GOAL AS ROMA WIN INAUGURAL EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE

Nicolo Zaniolo scored the only goal as Roma sunk Feyenoord to clinch the inaugural Europa Conference League title in Tirana.

Zaniolo fired home from his side’s first chance in the 32nd minute as Jose Mourinho’s men sealed their first silverware since the 2008 Coppa Italia.

It proved a typical Mourinho-style triumph as Roma sat deep and soaked up plenty of pressure before cruising through the second half with the minimum of fuss.

The Dutch side, who last won the UEFA Cup in 2002, dominated the early possession but failed to create any meaningful chances and were punished when Zaniolo chested down a cross from Roger Ibanez and put his side in front.

Feyenoord keeper Justin Bijlow saved well from Chris Smalling before the Dutchmen ended the half with their first real chances from Orkun Kokcu and Cyriel Dessers.

Feyenoord maintained their momentum at the start of the second half and almost levelled when Roma defender Gianluca Mancini deflected a short corner onto his own post before Rui Patricio saved well.

Patricio also did well to tip a drive from Lutsharel Geertruida onto the post before a potentially pivotal moment after 54 minutes, when Tammy Abraham appeared to be fouled by Marcos Senesi as he looked to burst clear, only for the referee to take no action.

The impressive Smalling blocked a drive from Kokcu on the edge of the box then was in the right place again to stop a drive from Dessers as the minutes ticked by.

Lorenzo Pellegrini almost made it two for Roma before Feyenoord spurned a golden opportunity to level in injury time when Bryan Linssen missed a sitter from close range.

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TAMMY ABRAHAM DOWNS LEICESTER AS ROMA REACH EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE FINAL

Tammy Abraham broke Leicester hearts as Roma reached the Europa Conference League final.

The striker’s 27th goal of the season sealed a 1-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico and booked a showdown with Feyenoord in Tirana.

Jose Mourinho’s side progressed 2-1 on aggregate after last week’s semi-final first leg draw at the King Power Stadium.

The Foxes fell short in their first European semi-final and there will be a lingering sense of regret they failed to seriously trouble Roma and never did themselves justice.

The club have torn up the rule book after winning the Premier League and FA Cup in the last six years but, this season, European success was just out of reach.

Roma have not won a European competition for 50 years, since beating Blackpool in the 1972 Anglo-Italian Cup but Mourinho will now look to complete the set after his past Champions League and Europa League victories.

Home fans had begun hurling flares at the Leicester supporters long before kick-off at a hostile Stadio Olimpico with the hosts looking to reach their first European final since 1991, when they lost the UEFA Cup to Inter Milan.

A pre-match banner declared ‘Everyone in Britain dreads the name of the Romans’ and Roma’s determination was obvious.

Leicester did have early protests for a penalty ignored when Chris Smalling hauled down Wesley Fofana but the ravenous hosts quickly took charge to grab an 11th-minute winner.

Kasper Schmeichel had already saved Lorenzo Pellegrini’s cute free-kick as Roma forced a number of corners and it was, again, from a set-piece where Leicester conceded.

Pellegrini’s dangerous delivery was met by Abraham and he outjumped Ricardo Pereira to power a towering header past Schmeichel from seven yards.

It was the striker’s ninth goal in the competition this season – with Alan Shearer and Stan Bowles the only Englishmen to score more in a single European campaign.

Shell-shocked, Leicester retreated and Pellegrini, scorer of Roma’s first-leg goal, was a constant menace with Jonny Evans mopping up after Schmeichel saved another effort.

Roma were in control having out-muscled and out-manoeuvred the Foxes and kept the visitors at bay even when they did have brief spells of possession.

Boss Brendan Rodgers had spoken about using the 72,000 sell-out crowd to Leicester’s advantage, hoping to play on any nerves and anxiety with Roma so close to ending a 14-year trophy drought.

But his slow side were never able to find sustained momentum to even get under the hosts’ skin on the pitch.

Frustrations with inconsistent referee Srdjan Jovanovic were growing but the Foxes’ first-half performance warranted little else than being behind.

Rodgers rolled the dice at the break with the ineffective Ademola Lookman and Harvey Barnes replaced by Kelechi Iheanacho and Daniel Amartey.

A double change at the break helped the Foxes overcome a second-leg deficit to beat PSV in last month’s quarter-final and immediately they were more robust but still lacked the imagination to level the tie.

Jamie Vardy did have a shot blocked by Abraham and the Foxes saw more of the ball, with James Maddison curling at Rui Patricio with 13 minutes left.

But a low-key second half suited Roma and, even though they created little themselves, they were always comfortable.

Iheanacho shot at Patricio from distance as time slipped away but, this time, there was no fairy-tale ending for the Foxes.

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Leicester hunt Roma scalp

The Europa Conference League semi-finals are delicately balanced going into Thursday’s second legs.

Feyenoord take a one-goal lead over Marseille to France and honours are even between Roma and Leicester after a tight first encounter in the East Midlands.

We take a closer look at tomorrow’s ties to see who is likely to book a spot in the Tirana showpiece.

A competitive first leg at the King Power Stadium has left the tie finely poised ahead of the Foxes’ trip to the Italian capital.

Jose Mourinho’s outfit took the lead early on before the hosts netted a second-half equaliser and then turned the screw, creating a number of late chances.

The two teams looked evenly matched and another stalemate to send it to extra-time is very much on the cards.

Both sides have drawn three of their last four in all competitions and this again looks likely to be a close affair.

A concern for Brendan Rodgers’ men will be the fact that they have lost three of their six away outings in Europe this season, including a 3-2 Europa League defeat in Italy to Napoli last December.

However, they did manage a spirited comeback on the road against PSV Eindhoven in the previous round so have it within them to reach a first-ever European final.

Keeping Tammy Abraham quiet will be key for the Foxes — the English striker has eight goals in the Europa Conference League this year and demonstrated his impressive link-up play throughout the first leg.

All in all, another score draw may well be the likely outcome when these two meet.

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Jose Mourinho buys Afena-Gyan £675 trainers after match-winning Roma display

Jose Mourinho made good on a promise to buy Felix Afena-Gyan an €800 pair of trainers after his match-winning exploits for Roma at the weekend. 

The Ghanaian 18-year-old scored a double off the bench to lead Roma to a 2-0 Serie A victory over Genoa on Sunday, ending their three-game winless streak in all competitions. 

He became the first player born since January 1, 2003 to score in the Italian top flight and the third-youngest foreigner to score at least twice in a single Serie A game. 

Afena-Gyan celebrated his first goal, which came when he slotted home Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s throughball in the 82nd minute, by running over to Mourinho. 

“I promised him a very expensive pair of shoes, for 800 euros, and he came to me to make sure I didn’t forget,” Mourinho told broadcaster DAZN. 

“I really like his coldness, his physicality, but above all his humility.” 

Afena-Gyan on Monday shared a video on Instagram of himself unboxing the new shoes in the presence of Mourinho. He included the caption: “Forever grateful Sir. I’ll make you proud.”

Speaking to Roma’s official website after the game, Afena-Gyan said of Mourinho: “He is teaching me a lot and I am learning a lot from him. He is someone who has achieved a lot during his career and he is a great person. I am glad to be working with him. 

“He encourages me day in and day out to do everything that will help me improve in future. So I am happy to be working with Jose Mourinho. I thank him very, very much. I thank him a lot. He’s a great person.” 

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IBRAHIMOVIC NETS 400TH LEAGUE GOAL AS AC MILAN EDGE AS ROMA

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his 150th Serie A goal as AC Milan inflicted Jose Mourinho’s first home defeat in the Italian top flight with a 2-1 win over AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday to keep pace with Serie A leaders Napoli.

The 40-year-old striker rifled a low free kick into the bottom corner in the 25th minute to put the visitors ahead after a lively start, his 400th goal in total in domestic leagues.

Ibrahimovic had a brilliantly finished second ruled out for offside after the break, just like team mate Rafael Leao in the first half, before going down under Roger Ibanez’s challenge to earn a spot kick that Franck Kessie converted in the 57th minute.

Milan were reduced to 10 men for the final 25 minutes after left-back Theo Hernandez was shown a second yellow card, but Stephan El Shaarawy’s stoppage-time strike was not enough to rescue the game for Roma.

Victory leaves Milan second, level on 31 points with leaders Napoli, and 12 points ahead of fourth-placed Roma.

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JOSE MOURINHO SEES RED AS ROMA ENDS NAPOLI 100% START WITH GOALESS DRAW

AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho was sent off to the stands as his side ended Napoli’s winning start to the Serie A season following a 0-0 draw on Sunday.

Napoli came into the contest having won their opening eight Serie A matches this season and dominated much of Sunday’s showdown, with Victor Osimhen denied by the post in the second half.

In a tightly contested affair, Roma created little. Tammy Abraham had the best of their chances, slotting wide from a good position in the first half.

As a frustrating Roma struggled in the second half, it got too much for Mourinho late on, and he was sent off for protesting with the referee.

Striker Osimhen thought he had won it at the death, but his header was ruled out for offside, with the point for Napoli enough to move them back to the top of the standings, above AC Milan on goal difference.

After making an impressive start to the season themselves, Roma have now won two of their last six league games to sit fourth.

“I was asking for a situation in our favour, but I didn’t say anything special, nothing that warranted being sent off for,” Mourinho told DAZN.

“But it is not a match in which the referee has done wrong, the feeling is that the referee has done a positive job.”

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JUVENTUS SNATCH NARROW WIN FROM ROMA IN FOURTH STRAIGHT SERIE A WIN

Juventus continued their march up the Serie A standings with a 1-0 win over AS Roma in Turin on Sunday, as Moise Kean’s unorthodox early goal sealed a fourth consecutive league win for the Turin club.

Rodrigo Bentancur’s header ricocheted off Kean’s head and into the back of the net after 16 minutes in the game’s decisive moment.

But Jose Mourinho’s side were furious when Tammy Abraham put the ball in the net but the goal was not allowed to stand because referee Daniele Orsato had already whistled for a penalty. Jordan Veretout took the ensuing spot kick and his effort was saved by Wojciech Szczesny.

Juve are now seventh with 14 points, level with Lazio, and Atalanta above them and one point behind fourth-placed Roma.

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SERIE A: NAPOLI RECLAIM TOP SPOT, LAZIO SQUEEZE PAST MOURINHO’S ROMA IN DERBY

Napoli maintained their perfect start to the Serie A season on Sunday with a 2-0 win over Cagliari which ensured they reclaimed top spot, while Lazio won an eventful derby 3-2 to down Jose Mourinho’s Roma.

Luciano Spalletti’s side cruised to their sixth victory in as many league games against a Cagliari team coached by former Napoli manager Walter Mazzarri thanks to Victor Osimhen’s sixth goal in all competitions this month and a second-half penalty from Lorenzo Insigne who pre-match celebrated his 400th Napoli appearance.

They are two points ahead of AC Milan after another confident display that ends a week in which they scored 10 goals without reply in three league matches.

“The best way to celebrate was to win and score a goal,” said Insigne to DAZN, who is four goals away from Diego Maradona’s Napoli total of 115.

“We did it together as a team. We’ve got to keep our feet on the ground, keep our heads down and work because there is a very, very long way to go.”

Next weekend Napoli travel to Fiorentina in what will be the first true test of their title credentials, as their 2-1 win over Juventus earlier this month came against a team missing a host of starters.

They made easy work of a passive Cagliari, with Osimhen making it four Serie A goals in five appearances this campaign in the 11th minute when he met Piotr Zielinski’s low cross with a typically assured finish.

Osimhen was involved again when a low-key match was settled in the 57th minute, the in-form Nigeria attacker being cleaned out by Diego Godin and Insigne lashing home the subsequent penalty to ensure a simple win.

Lazio win derby honours

Goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Pedro and Felipe Anderson gave Lazio a tight derby win over Roma at a raucous Stadio Olimpico which saw two teams attack each other for 90 minutes.

Maurizio Sarri’s side were winless in three league matches heading into the weekend but now sit sixth on 11 points, seven behind Napoli and just one behind fourth-placed Roma, who twice pulled goals back through Roger Ibanez and Jordan Veretout.

In the aftermath Mourinho lashed out at referee Marco Guida and the VAR officials after what he saw as a clear foul on Nicolo Zaniolo just before Lazio launched the counter-attack which ended with former Roma player Pedro putting Lazio 2-0 ahead in the 19th minute.

“The referee and VAR weren’t up to the standards of a match of this level. From 2-0 it could have been 1-1, the referee made a mistake on the field and VAR made a mistake… they all made a mistake,” Mourinho said to DAZN.

Dybala misses Chelsea

Juventus will have to face Chelsea in the Champions League without Paulo Dybala after the Argentina forward limped off with a thigh injury early in their 3-2 win over Sampdoria.

Dybala opened the scoring with nine minutes on the clock at a wet Allianz Stadium, with Leonardo Bonucci and Manuel Locatelli netting the other goals to move Juve ninth on eight points, but soon afterwards the 27-year-old left the field in tears after the latest in a long line of injuries.

Massimiliano Allegri’s side host European champions Chelsea on Wednesday and the coach said Dybala and centre-forward Alvaro Morata, who also exited with a thigh problem towards the end of the match, would be out of action until after the next international break which runs from after next weekend’s matches to October 15.

Fiorentina bounced back from midweek defeat to Inter Milan with a battling 1-0 win at Udinese which moved them into fifth on 12 points, six behind Napoli.

Promoted Empoli are threatening the European places after beating Bologna 4-2 to win their second match on the bounce and climb up to eighth, while Salernitana remain rooted to the bottom of the league with a single point after losing 1-0 at Sassuolo.

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MOURINHO SUFFERS FIRST DEFEAT AS ROMA BOSS

Jose Mourinho suffered his first defeat since returning to coach in Italy as his AS Roma side were beaten 3-2 by Hellas Verona in a thrilling Serie A encounter on Sunday.

A stunning volley from Verona captain Marco Faraoni proved decisive, ending Roma’s 100% start to the Serie A season while earning his side their first win of the campaign.

Roma appeared to be on course for another three points in the pouring Veneto rain after Lorenzo Pellegrini had given the visitors a halftime lead with a sublime back-heel flick.

However, the game swung in the home side’s favour early in the second half as goals from Antonin Barak and Gianluca Caprari edged Verona 2-1 in front.

Ivan Ilic’s own goal as he beat Roma striker Tammy Abraham to a cross levelled things up in the 58th minute, before Verona again took the lead five minutes later through Faraoni.

Roma piled on the pressure in search of an equaliser but Mourinho’s men were left frustrated to sit second in the standings on nine points, with third-placed AC Milan playing Juventus later on Sunday.

“We didn’t play very well, we didn’t adapt well to their way of playing.” Mourinho told DAZN. “We lost many individual duels. I need the videos, I need a few hours to better understand what happened.”

Verona moved out of the bottom three and up to 14th as new coach Igor Tudor got off to winning start after replacing Eusebio Di Francesco in midweek.

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ITALIAN CHAMPIONS INTER MILAN SIGN EDIN DZEKO AND DENZEL DUMFRIES

Italian champions Inter Milan on Saturday signed 35-year-old striker Edin Dzeko from Serie A rivals Roma, just a day after selling Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea for a reported fee of £97 million ($135 million).

In a quickfire double swoop, Inter also announced they had signed Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries from PSV Eindhoven.

“FC Internazionale Milano is pleased to announce the signing of Edin Dzeko. The forward has joined the club from Roma on a permanent transfer, having signed a two-year contract that runs until 30 June 2023,” said an Inter statement.

Former PSV skipper Dumfries, 25, has penned a contract with Inter running through to June 2025.

Dzeko has enjoyed a successful career since leaving his native Bosnia.

In 2009, he helped fire Wolfsburg to their first and only Bundesliga title, finishing the campaign as top scorer on 26 goals.

At Manchester City, he scored one of the goals in the final day defeat of QPR which delivered a first English title 44 years.

With Roma, he grabbed 119 goals in 260 games.

Dzeko is also Bosnia’s all-time top scorer, with 59 goals in 114 appearances, helping his country qualify for their first major tournament, the 2014 World Cup.

Dumfries starred as the Netherlands reached the last 16 at Euro 2020 this summer where they were knocked out by the Czech Republic.

He has 23 caps and two goals, both of which came at the delayed tournament this summer.