Roma’s English duo of Chris Smalling and Tammy Abraham were both on the scoresheet in a 3-0 win over Zorya Luhansk on Thursday evening.
Stephan El Shaarawy had earlier scored the first goal to set Roma on their way to victory, although it was one Zorya made them work for. Nevertheless, their perfect record in the Europa Conference League remains intact.
Here’s what Jose Mourinho made of it all in his post-match interview with Sky.
On what pleased him most
“The result, it is what counts at the end. A few days ago we dominated a team and made them seem small but we lost. The result counts. Today we won, the most important thing is the six points – five or six are missing for qualification.”
On resting players
“Another step forward without injuries or excessive tiredness because we let some players rest on the bench or in Rome. Positive night.”
On Ebrima Darboe’s first game of the season
“He played very well, he gave balance to the team, he made good decisions in possession, he read the defensive movements well. I wanted to give the opportunity to [Amadou] Diawara to play too, that’s why I changed him, but I’m really satisfied with his performance.”
On the added value of Smalling
“Since he came back, he has always been available, when he came on from the bench he always did well. Today without [Gianluca] Mancini he was able to lead the defensive department with good communication, beyond scoring which is always a positive thing for a defender.”
On preparing for the next game against Empoli
“Of course, after defeat it is always important to try to win. We did it today, but we must try to transfer this in Serie A, where we will try to win against a team that has nine points and are doing well, it will be difficult. We will arrive between 2 and 3[AM], it is better to stay and sleep at Trigoria and ask for a sacrifice from the guys, train there in the morning and then let them return home.”
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