Jose Mourinho mocks Dutch journalist after Feyenoords Europa Conference League final defeat

Jose Mourinho hit out with a cheeky slant at a Dutch journalist after Roma’s Europa League defeat to Feyenoord. 

The Portuguese boss was speaking at his post-match conference following Roma’s 1-0 first leg loss to the Dutch side and despite the defeat seemed to be in a jovial mood as he discussed the evening’s events. 

It was the first time the sides had met since Mourinho’s Roma beat Feyenoord in last year’s inaugural final of the competition, and the 60-year-old got into an amusing verbal exchange with a journalist when discussing the two matches between the sides. 

When asked about what the Italian side need to do to turn the game around, Mourinho responded by saying: ‘To score goals. To put the ball in the net. It is as simple as that. Of course, we had our chances, but football is not about chances. It’s about scoring goals.’ 

The journalist then brought up the subject of last year’s final, where Nicolo Zaniolo goal was enough to break Dutch hearts in the first-ever Europa Conference League Final, and Mourinho was quick to send back a cheeky reply, right on cue. 

Jose Mourinho had a jovial verbal joust over Roma’s 2022 Conference League Final win 

Mourinho saw his side lose 1-0 to Feyenoord in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final

Mats Wieffer celebrates getting the only goal of the game in the first leg in Rotterdam 

‘For the past 10 months you were crying. (Laughs). But you shouldn’t cry.’ Mourinho said with a grin on his face. 

‘You know why, you cannot win the match that you lost. You lost a game, you cannot win that one. The only problem today, is that it is half-time. I promise you if I lose, I sleep, I don’t cry. And I will not go without sleeping for 10 months having nightmares.’ 

Mats Wieffer’s goal was enough to separate the teams in Thursday night’s Europa League quarter-final tie, on a miserable night for the Italian’s who missed a penalty through Lorenzo Pellegrini and had both Tammy Abraham and Paulo Dybala limp off with injuries. 

Yet, Mourinho believes his side will be able to turn the tie around for the return leg in Rome.

Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini in a game that saw the Italian’s lose two players through injury 

Roma were victorious in the first-ever Europa Conference League Final with a 1-0 win over Feyenoord last season 

‘We probably lose Abraham and Dybala for these next two games. We are who we are, but we will have the Olimpico crowd fully behind us,’ he added.

‘Am I optimistic for the return leg? Yes, but I’m also worried about Sunday. If a team like ours loses players, there are fewer options and that’s a concern for us. 

We always do our best. The result is not deserved, but in football ‘deserved’ is not part of my vocabulary. 

We are not playing against Feyenoord on Sunday, but against Udinese and we have to think about this.’

Roma are currently third in Serie A, two points clear of fifth-place Inter in the race to bag a Champions League spot for next season.  

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