Roma won the first major European tournament in their history when they defeated Feyenoord 1-0 in the Conference League final on Wednesday.
Nicolo Zaniolo continued his resurgence under manager Jose Mourinho to score the match’s lone goal in the 32nd minute. Nicolo Zaniolo’s early goal gave Jose Mourinho side’s a historic victory.
It was Mourinho’s first trophy since arriving at Roma ahead of the 2021-22 season.
How does it feel at Roma?
“One thing I said when I came was I was going to help my team get to the final and win a trophy in my first season,” Tammy Abraham told BT Sport. “We deserved it, we’ve worked hard all year.
“I love them [the Roma fans]. From day one it has been the best. We are champions, I am happy to be part of the team. Now it is time to party and celebrate.”
Defender Chris Smalling added: “We knew how much it was going to mean for everyone at Roma. Everyone fought until the end.
“We dropped a bit deeper than we wanted to and everyone was fighting. Even when I first came to the club it was a long time since Roma had won a trophy. We knew how much it was going to mean to win something.”
Skipper Lorenzo Pellegrini, told Sky Sport Italia: “We are a real team, we proved that. Now we have to celebrate and then start again, which is always difficult after a great victory, but a real team wins, celebrates, and starts again.
“I said yesterday that I never would’ve imagined at the age of 25 to achieve this with the Roma jersey and the captain’s armband. It is a wonderful moment.”
The epic comeback of Nicolo Zaniolo
According to Goal, this year, the 22-year-old has worked his way back to full fitness under Mourinho and played in a career-high 40 matches. Zaniolo was once one of the most coveted prospects in Europe before suffering consecutive ACL tears. His goal on Wednesday was the seventh he scored this term.
The decisive goal in the final was the product of a beautifully lofted pass from Gianluca Mancini, which Zaniolo chested down before firing past the goalkeeper.
