Italy coach Jose Mourinho ran to hug the ball boy after Stephan El Shaarawy scored to help Roma secure a 3-1 victory over Udinese 3-1 in round 13 of Serie A.
In the 90th minute, Romelu Lukaku received a long pass from his own half, shielded well, waited for his teammate to run up, then passed the ball to Edoardo Bove. He then passed it to the left for substitute El Shaarawy to run up and curl the ball into the far corner with his right foot, sealing the score at 3-1.
On the sidelines, Mourinho was so excited that he jumped up and punched the air and then ran to hug the ball boy. When asked about his reaction in the post-match press conference, he replied: "I celebrated because it was the goal that killed the game. Then I relaxed and hugged a kid near the bench. I wanted to hug the first person I saw, luckily it wasn't a policeman or anything."
Mourinho hugs the ball boy to celebrate a goal in Roma's 3-0 win over Udinese in round 13 of Serie A on November 26.
Roma had a host of key players injured yesterday, with only Chris Smalling, Marash Kumbulla and Tammy Abraham missing. With almost their full squad, Roma dominated possession with 65% of the ball, 12 shots with five on target - compared to Udinese's 6 and 2.
In the 20th minute, Dybala crossed the ball from a free kick into the penalty area for center-back Gianluca Mancini to head in powerfully to open the scoring. Early in the second half, Florian Thauvin equalized with another aerial challenge, but Roma still won on a day when all the attacking stars shined.
In the 81st minute, Lukaku created a wall for Dybala to push the ball into the penalty area and then put his left foot past goalkeeper Marco Silvestri. Since the 2004-2005 season, the Argentine star has been involved in 18 goals against Udinese in Serie A, including 10 goals and eight assists. Only Francesco Totti has been involved in more goals against a single opponent in Serie A during the same period, with 20 goals against Parma.
Mourinho said Roma missed several chances to double their lead before Udinese equalised, but was pleased with the team's subsequent efforts to secure the three points. "It was our mistake that we could have finished the game off earlier, but we let Udinese open the game," the Portuguese coach said. "But the team responded well. I have players on the bench who can help the team."
Lukaku regrets after a missed opportunity. Photo: asroma.it
The win over Udinese moved Roma up to fifth on 21 points, three behind Napoli. But Mourinho denied Roma's quest for a top-four finish would be any easier with a host of key players returning from injury. "We are a club with ups and downs, there are days when I am surprised in a bad way. I just want to say that if Renato Sanches and Chris Smalling are back, we can give our all," he said.
On November 30, Roma traveled to Servette's home field in the fifth round of Group G of the Europa League. Mourinho's team is currently in second place with nine points, behind Slavia Praha on additional index.
Line-up
Roma : Patricio, Llorente, Ndicka, Mancini, Pellegrini (Azmoun 63), Cristante, Paredes (Bove 77), Spinazzola (El Shaarawy 63), Karsdorp (Zalewski 77), Lukaku, Dybala (Kristensen 83).
Udinese : Silvestri, Bijol, Perez, Ferreira (Kabasele 79), Payero, Samardzic (Lovric 69), Walace , Zemura (Kamara 83), Ebosele, Success, Thauvin (Lucca 79).
Hong Duy
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