(Football news) AS Roma defeated Feyenoord 1-0 in the final of the Europa Conference League. This was the inaugural edition of the tournament which is the 3rd tier of UEFA's European club football competitions, after the Champions League and the Europa League. Jose Mourinho has delivered in his very first season with AS Roma. This is Roma's first trophy since 2008 and also their first ever success in a major European tournament. Mourinho has now won 5 European trophies and has never lost a European final. 

Roma lined up in a 3-4-3 like they have all season while Feyenoord played a 4-3-3 formation. Henrikh Mkhitaryan was rushed back to fitness for the match and had to come off after just 17 minutes. He was replaced by Portuguese midfielder Sergio Oliviera. The only goal of the match came in the 32nd minute when Gianluca Mancini played in a cross which Nicolo Zaniolo controlled with his chest before chipping the goalkeeper. Roma scored with the first big chance of the game to take a crucial early lead. Feyenoord couldn't create any direct chances in the first half because Roma defended really well. The Dutch club started the 2nd half really well as they hit the post and produced a save from Rui Patricio inside 2 minutes of the restart.

Feyenoord was all over Roma in the initial period of the 2nd half. Roma were desperately clinging onto their one goal advantage with some excellent last ditch defending. In the 85th minute, captain Lorenzo Pellegrini had a great chance to seal the game but his shot was saved by Justin Bijlow. After taking the lead Roma played keep ball and didn't take any major risks by committing players forward. The Italian club had only 33 percent possession but were very clinical when they needed to be. Apart from goalscorer Zaniolo and assist provider Mancini; Bryan Cristante and Chris Smalling were incredible throughout the 90 minutes.

Winning a trophy in his first season will be a massive relief for Mourinho and the club. Now their target next year will be to push into the Serie A top 4 next season and potentially aim for Europa League glory. The Portuguese manager was visibly emotional as he won a piece of silverware after 5 years and two tough spells at Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. The competition, despite being the 3rd tier of European competitions, has produced some very entertaining matches and is proving to be a very good platform for the clubs. 

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