STADIO OLIMPICO (Rome) – Tammy Abraham‘s early header and a Jose Mourinho-inspired defensive masterclass were enough to send Roma to their first European final in 31 years after they beat Leicester City 1-0 at a raucous Stadio Olimpico on Thursday.
The foxes were no match for the wolves as Roma booked their place in the first-ever Conference League final at the expense of Premier League side Leicester this evening.
We had @aksmackenzie in place at a very noisy Stadio Olimpico for #FIFattheGames.#RomaLeicester #UECL pic.twitter.com/TjmTpA9hxT
— ForzaItalianFootball (@SerieAFFC) May 5, 2022
The result, which clinched a 2-1 aggregate victory in the Europa Conference League semi-final, came thanks to an 11th-minute bullet header from Abraham following a lightning start from the hosts.
Roma’s fans responded to Mourinho’s call for them to “come to play” by providing eardrum-bursting levels of noise from long before kick-off, and the energy spilled from the stands into the Giallorossi players.
Kasper Schmeichel was forced into a smart early stop from a Lorenzo Pellegrini, before the Roma captain provided the delivery that Abraham headed home from six yards.
Pellegrini was denied a second time by Schmeichel as the hosts threatened a second, before Leicester eventually found their feet.
But for all their possession, and a half-time formation change, the Foxes failed to muster a shot on target until the 79th minute, when Rui Patricio easily held a James Maddison shot.
Roma’s defensive resilience, not to mention the backing of a 63,940-strong crowd, saw them through to the Tirana final, where they will face Feyenoord on 25 May.
