AS Roma defender Chris Smalling and striker Tammy Abraham revealed their delight at winning the Europa Conference League trophy on Wednesday night with both players playing a starring role in the win against Feyenoord.
The former Manchester United centre back Smalling was the man-of-the-match as he secured a clean sheet for the Italians while Abraham, though unable to score in Tirana, ended the season as the club’s top scorer in the competition.
The trophy was Roma’s first UEFA European title and ended a long wait for a title for the Italians. Speaking to BT Sport after the game, Smalling admitted Jose Mourinho‘s side had to fight to claim the trophy.
“We knew how much it was going to mean to everybody in Rome, and you can see how together we are, everybody fought until the end,” Smalling said.
“We had to do that on a few occasions this year (fighting hard). We dropped a bit deeper than we maybe wanted to, but we knew we had to do everything. You could see strikers running back, everybody defending, and we knew we had to win.”
“Even when I first came to the club, it had been a long time since they won a trophy. You can hear the fans. We knew how much it was going to mean. You can see we’ve got some of the best fans.”
Abraham, a Champions League winner with Chelsea last year, insisted Roma deserved their victory on the night.
“One thing I said when I came here was I was going to help the team get to the final and one day I want to win a trophy. In my first season, I have achieved that,’ Abraham also told BT.
“Credit to my teammates, excellent performances. We deserve it. We have worked hard all year.
“I love them (the fans). From day one I came here, it has been the best. We are champions. I am happy to be a part of the team. Now it is time to celebrate and enjoy.”
Nicolo Zaniolo scored the game’s only goal, with a cool finish in the first half, for a historic win for the Italians.
