Mourinho and Roma leave it late against Salernitana to keep European hopes alive

Something refreshing is happening at AS Roma. The Giallorossi went through a difficult period midway through the season but they have turned things around superbly.

Jose Mourinho’s side risked missing out on a European place when they were struggling towards the end of 2021 in Serie A. However, Roma’s form has improved tremendously since the turn of the year. The team haven’t lost a league match since January 9 when they were defeated by Juventus.

Over the weekend, the Giallorossi extended their unbeaten run in Serie A to 11 games after coming from behind to beat Salernitana 2-1.

Roma’s resilience pays off against Salernitana

During Roma’s great run of form, they have faced many tests. However, no single game has tested their resilience more than the clash against Salernitana.

Mourinho’s side made a poor start to the game. They were made to pay for their sluggishness when Ivan Radovanovic opened the scoring for the hosts after 22 minutes. However, the Giallorossi didn’t allow the early setback to affect their confidence and kept probing until a breakthrough came late in the second half.

Carles Perez grabbed the equalizer with a fine finish in the 82nd minute. Three minutes later, Chris Smalling tapped home the winner to raise the decibel levels inside the Stadio Olimpico. Roma needed to show a lot of character and fight to overturn the result and, in the end, their resilience paid off.

Roma keep top-four hopes alive

As it stands, Roma look set to seal a European place at the end of the season. But instead of being content with qualifying for the Europa League, they are gunning to return to the Champions League.

The Giallorossi are currently five points behind fourth-placed Juventus. Their latest victory against Salernitana means their Champions League hopes remain alive. Mourinho said after the game, as quoted by Roma Press:

“Clearly we were tired tonight, it’s not easy playing on Thursday evening then on Sunday. I’m sure (Atalanta manager) Gasperini agrees. We rotated a few players in the starting formation before we brought on others in the second half and they gave us great energy.”

“Ultimately, though, I think we deserved to win because were the team playing for the victory, even if we might not have played well.”

With six more matches left in Seria A, Roma will need a miracle to usurp Juventus in fourth place. As long as they keep winning games, nothing can be ruled out.