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Jose Mourinho believes Roma ‘dominated’ their 1-0 loss to RB Salzburg. the Serie A side’s manager claimed they ‘wasted chances’ and ‘had a clear penalty’ that was not awarded in the Europa League play-off.
Nicolas Capaldo’s late header decided the first leg of this tie in Austria in favor of the home side and it’s fair to say that the Roma manager was not content with the result.
‘You Have to Score Goals’ – Mourihno
“This is football, is what we say in these situations. You have to score goals,” Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia after the game.
The Italian side wasted scoring opportunities and hit the woodwork with Bryan Cristante’s header. however, the visitors let in a late RB Salzburg goal that now sees the Austrian side in the ascendancy.
“It could’ve not happened, but it happened. I think we dominated the game. We were always in control of a match that was very relaxed for us,” the manager said.
“We missed some incredible chances and there was a clear penalty not awarded to us in the first half,” Mourihno explained.
“We were unlucky with the change of referee to this gentleman here. Conceding a goal in the final minutes was unjust,” he added.
Mourinho was referring to the fact that the original referee, Glenn Nyberg of Sweden, backed out at the last minute due to flu symptoms, and was replaced by Dennis Higler of Denmark.
Nonetheless, Roma’s problem in Serie A, the Coppa Italia, and now the Europa League is that they simply do not convert enough of their chances.
“We have to put the ball in the net. When we don’t, then there is this risk. We know who we are, we know our limits, but when my team gives its all, I never have a negative word to say.”
Dybala Injury Worries Add to Defeat
Roma’s attacking prowess was further damaged when Argentinean Paulo Dybala went off at half-time and he was later spotted with some strapping to his right thigh.
This comes after increasing speculation in the last week that Dybala could sign for Man United in the summer transfer window.
News reports in Spain and England claimed that the Premier League side want to sign the Argentinean at the end of the season, using a €12m clause available in his contract.
however, Dybala put rumors to rest following the reports, and said that he wants to continue playing under Mourinho in the future.
The player’s Portuguese manager informed Sky Sports Italia after the game that he did not know what Dybala’s injury was or how serious it was.
“I don’t know what’s wrong, he just told me he was not in any condition to keep playing,” the Roma boss told the reporter.
“I can say that without Paulo, we moved Stephan El Shaarawy, then the change of Tammy Abraham for Andrea Belotti, when we concede a goal there’s nothing else to do,” he added.
Because away goals do not count in UEFA knockout games anymore, the match will still be quite competitive when it is played at the Stadio Olimpico on February 23. This is a positive development for Roma.
The other issue for Roma is that Strahinja Pavlovic will be barred from participating in that game due to a suspension he picked up.
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