Jose Mourinho criticised Roma for needing four attempts to defeat Bodo/Glimt after the Serie A side progressed to the Europa Conference League semi-finals on Thursday.
Roma failed to defeat Bodo/Glimt in two meetings in the group stage, including a 6-1 thrashing in Norway, before falling to a 2-1 defeat in the first leg of their last-eight meeting.
The last clash was marred by an altercation between Bodo/Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen and Roma goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos, with the former accusing the latter of an alleged assault in the tunnel.
The pair were suspended for the return leg in Italy, where a hat-trick from Nicolo Zaniolo and a strike from Tammy Abraham saw Roma cruised to a 4-0 win and 5-2 aggregate triumph.
Roma will next face Leicester City for a place in the final, but coach Mourinho was far from pleased with his side for taking four matches to claim their maiden victory against the Norwegian team.
Nicolò Zaniolo powered Roma past Bodo/Glimt with a hat-trick, arguably putting together the best showing of his career.
He is just the second player born after January 1999 to bag at least two braces in elimination matches in the European cups. The other is Erling Haaland, Sky informs.
The starlet talked to the press after the final whistle:
“We played the game the coach asked us to do. And We were perfect in both phases.
“We will now enjoy this victory and the semifinal. I am thrilled especially because we were successful.
“I helped the team advance, and we shared it with all these fans that are always here to support us.”
Zaniolo was coming off an up-and-down stretch and was not sure to start versus Bodo/Glimt:
“I always try to keep the right balance. This was a fantastic night, but I had to maintain my composure, as it happened during some rough times.
“The supporters have always been behind me, even during my time on the mend.
“I maybe received more affection when I was down in the dumps than in other situations.
“I would have liked to play in the Derby, but I respect the coach’s choices.
“He was right because we won three-nil. I am always at the disposal of the squad.”
José Mourinho weighed in on the starlet:
“There is always too much chatter around Zaniolo, debating whether he will start or not or if he is injured or fit.
“It would be better for us and Italian football if we left him alone. Some said he would not be in the XI today, and we concealed it well.
“We knew he would be important to attack the space. He will grab the headlines for positive reasons now.”
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