Italian papers hail Jose Mourinho’s ‘masterpiece in an Olimpico gone wild’ after Roma victory

Italy’s sports newspapers have lavished praise on Jose Mourinho the morning after he guided his Roma side to their first European final in 31 years.

An emotional Mourinho burst into tears on the touchline at full-time after a victory over Leicester booked their spot in the Europa Conference League showpiece.

Corriere dello Sport led their front page on the reaction to the game, with a picture of Tammy Abraham celebrating underneath a headline that simply reads: ‘Come on Mourinho!’ 

Corriere dello Sport praised Jose Mourinho, who burst into tears at the full-time whistle

The Stadio Olimpico was in passionate voice as Roma beat Leicester to reach the final

The words are a nod to their exact same headline from 5 May 2021, the day that Mourinho was appointed as Roma boss.

Nearly a year to the day since his arrival, the paper carried the same headline, clearly revelling in the impressive job he has done at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.

The paper also hail the ‘masterpiece’ of Thursday night’s game in a stadium ‘gone wild’, with a fervent home crowd delighting in their 1-0 victory, courtesy of an Abraham goal against the English side.

The victory took them through 2-1 on aggregate and set up a final in Tirana against Dutch giants Feyenoord on May 25. If they are to come through that game, Mourinho will have secured Roma their first trophy since the Coppa Italia in 2008.

Tammy Abraham celebrates after scoring what turned out to be Roma’s winning goal

The front page of Tuttosport on Friday focused on the future of Juventus legend Giorgio Chiellini

Elsewhere, the front page of Tuttosport leads on a different subject – that of Giorgio Chiellini, the Juventus captain.

They report that he has decided to leave Juventus at the end of the season and has three options for his future.

The first option is to continue playing in a ‘less taxing league’ – most likely MLS, while the second option is to ‘study for a year abroad’.

Finally, his other choice is to hang up his boots entirely and stay at Juventus, but in a new career as a director of the club.

Chiellini is now 37 and has played for Juve since 2004, making a remarkable 558 appearances for the Old Lady.

It is worth noting, too, that Tuttosport do carry news of Roma’s Europa Conference League success on their front page – with the headline: ‘Another Brexit: Made in Rome’ at the top right-hand side.