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Mourinho after Roma 2-1 Sheriff: “An important, deserved victory.”

Roma's Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho shouts at his players during the Italian Serie A football match between AS Roma and Empoli at the Olympic stadium in Rome on September 17, 2023. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP) (Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images)

Jose Mourinho praised his team for their second half turnaround following their 2-1 victory over Sheriff to begin their Europa League campaign.

Leading at the break, the hosts leveled the score ten minutes into the second half before Romelu Lukaku scored in the 65th minute to secure the Giallorossi a victory.


“I didn’t like the first half, we were too slow and weren’t aggressive,” he told Sky Sport.

“We didn’t play the way we had prepared, we didn’t control the game. The first goal was a miralce, we didn’t do anything to deserve the lead. We still lacked aggression, but we took control of the game. We deserved to win, which was the most important thing.”

Mourinho was also asked about the condition of midfielder Renato Sanches, who exited midway through the first half with an apparent muscle injury.

“Unfortunately, this is Sanches, he’s always at risk (of injury) and it’s tough to understand. Bayern Munich couldn’t figure it out, neither did PSG, and now we’re struggling to understand it too.”

“He’s a great player, he needs to play—he had three days of rest and felt more than ready to play another 45 minutes today. However, he felt a tweak.”

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