Oviri Kelvin, Sports Editor, Abuja
Jose Mourinho has said AS Roma will upturn the first-leg deficit against the Norwegian club, Bodo/Glimt after they were defeated 2-1 in Thursday’s Europa Conference League.
The Portuguese stated that the second leg which will be played in Italy in a well-packed stadium will be a determining factor in the match.
According to him, Roma does not deserve to lose the match having played well. He added that Giallorossi will get to the semifinals when they host the Norwegian club in the return match in Stadio Olimpico, The trumpet gathered.
Mourinho said, “We certainly didn’t deserve to lose, but it’s not actually a defeat.
“It’s halftime, we are losing 2-1 and we have the second half to play at home in front of a packed stadium with our fans there for the team.
“So I have no issues in saying we are favourites to reach the semifinals,” he added.
Read Also: Power Outage: National grid collapses again
While the Roma football tactician blamed the texture of the plastic pitch for the club’s loss, he condemned the injury it meted on defender Gianluca Mancini who was substituted in the second half.
He continued: “It’s a pity that we had an important injury, which I call the injuries of the plastic pitches,” Mourinho told BT Sport.
“It’s out of our control. People decided that European competitions can be played on plastic pitches, so we have to play,” he said.
Roma looks forward to hosting Bodo/Glimt in Italy on April 14, next week’s Thursday in the second leg of the quarterfinal in Europe’s third-tier club competition.
Giallorossi had once lost 6-1 to Bodo/Glimt, aside from the quarterfinal first-leg, in the group stage of the Europa Conference League.
