AS Roma won the first edition of the Conference League.
The team coached by José Mourinho won 1-0 in the final in Tirana against Feyenoord Rotterdam on Wednesday, thanks to a goal from their young Italian international Nicolo Zaniolo.
The Giallorossi thus put an end to an 18-year drought. The conquest of the last trophy for Roma dates back to the 2007/08 season, with a ninth coronation in the Italian Cup for a team then led by its emblematic captain Francesco Totti.
The success of La Louve is even historic. Unlucky finalists in the Champions League in 1984 and the UEFA Cup in 1991, AS Roma have so far only had one (modest) European trophy on their list: the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the unofficial ancestor of the UEFA Cup, which she had won in 1961.
The talent of Zaniolo
AS Roma forced the decision in the 32nd minute. Deprived of Euro 2021 due to a serious knee injury, Nicolo Zaniolo then demonstrated all his talent on a long cross from Gianluca Mancini: the 22-year-old attacking midfielder controlled the ball with his chest before deceiving the Feyenoord goalkeeper Justin Bijlow with an inside left foot.
The Romans then had to settle for defending. Their goalkeeper Rui Patricio was saved twice by his uprights at the start of the second half. In the 50th, the Portuguese also made a high-class stoppage, diverting a powerful left-foot shot armed by Tyrell Malacia onto his post. Feyenoord then pushed on and on, largely dominating the proceedings, but to no avail.
under high voltage
This final was played under high tension. More than 100,000 fans from both sides have indeed descended on Albania to attend, in a brand new Tirana stadium but which only has 21,000 seats. Albania, a small Balkan country of less than three million inhabitants, had suffered violent clashes the day before.
About twenty police officers were thus injured, including one stabbed, while trying to prevent the two camps from meeting. In total, according to the police, ten people – five Albanians, three Italians and two Dutch – presented themselves at the hospitals for treatment.
Some supporters had come to do battle if we judge by the many weapons seized (knives, brass knuckles, iron bats). The authorities have deployed more than 2,000 police officers, supported by Italian and Dutch experts. They received Wednesday the reinforcement of units from all over the country.
/ATS