Roma's Paulo Dybala praises Jose Mourinho after win over Feyenoord
AS Roma forward Paulo Dybala confessed that coach Jose Mourinho predicted the club’s win over Feyenoord in the UEFA Europa League quarterfinal second leg.
Dybala rescues Roma with clutch goal
Dybala scored in the 89th minute to drag the tie into extra time, where Roma dominated their Dutch visitors to come out 4-1 winners on the night.
The Argentine, who had been an injury doubt before the game, turned out to be the hero, as Roma would have been eliminated on aggregate but for his late goal.
After the game, Dybala confirmed that he had scored his goal with his injured foot, but did not mind the hurt as it helped Roma reach the semifinals.
Dybala told SkySports, “Did you see that? I don’t use my right foot very often, and today it hurt so I tried to use it even less, but it was worth it for the goal.
“I was a little scared when they equalised, but we kept going and made the game ours in extra time.”
Dybala grateful to Mourinho for Roma win
Dybala also praised the team’s mentality instilled by Portuguese manager Moutinho as well as the gaffer’s expertise, saying, “I think we all want to win, which is the most important thing. We have a coach with an incredible mentality.
“He told us the game would be like that and he was absolutely right. This squad won the Conference League last season, so they know what it takes to win. Now we hope to go all the way in the Europa League too.”
Finally, Dybala revealed that Mourinho had accurately predicted how the match would go, and praised the manager for pushing the team to get better and switching the tactics during the match to help them get past Feyenoord.
“I think everyone knows Mourinho, his history, what he’s done in Europe and at every club he worked at I think he won something,” Dybala started, before continuing, “His mentality fuels you. He knew the game could end up like this and pushed us to give something more. He changed the tactical system, we started playing better and dominated extra time for a deserved victory.”
Roma will face Bayer Leverkusen in the semifinals of the UEFA Europa League, with Mourinho facing a former player in Xabi Alonso who is the current manager of the German club.