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AS Roma boss Jose Mourinho interrupted his post-match interview to send a congratulatory message to his Real Madrid counterpart Carlo Ancelotti. The former Los Blancos manager has wished for his 'friend' to overcome Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in the Champions League final.
Madrid dramatically booked their place in the Champions League final following a hard-fought victory over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on Wednesday night (4 May). The Whites lost the first leg in Manchester (4-3) and found themselves 1-0 down at the Bernabeu with 17 minutes left to play.
However, as always, they did not throw in the towel and kept pushing for goals. Rodrygo heroically scored a couple in the 90th and the 91st minute to push the game into extra time (5-5 aggregate). Five minutes into the first half of extra time, Karim Benzema won a penalty and confidently put it away to secure a 3-1 win for Madrid.
On Thursday (5 May), Mourinho’s Roma got the better of Leicester City in the second leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final. Having secured a place in the final himself, Mourinho congratulated his friend and fellow finalist 'Carletto', wishing they would both win their finals.
Speaking to Sky Sports Italia (via Metro), the Portuguese manager said:
“If you allow me a message for a coach who is my friend, the great Carletto, let’s both go and win the finals!”
Real Madrid will take on Liverpool in the Champions League final in Paris on May 28. Roma, on the other hand, will meet Feyenoord in their Europa Conference League final in Albania on May 25.
Jose Mourinho cried in his car following Real Madrid’s defeat to Bayern Munich in 2012 Champions League semi-final
Under Mourinho, Real Madrid were at the top of their game in the 2011-12 season. They were scoring for fun, playing scintillating football, and looked destined to do the double.
Los Blancos eventually won La Liga in emphatic fashion, bagging a record 100 points and scoring a record 121 goals in the process.
Unfortunately, the Champions League did not come their way, with Bayern Munich gut-wrenchingly getting the better of them on penalties. Shockingly, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, and Kaka all missed their spot-kicks, tipping the scales in Bayern’s favor.
Later, in an interview with Marca, Mourinho revealed that he cried in the car that night. He said:
“That night is the only time in my career as a coach that I’ve cried after a defeat. I remember it well… Aitor [Karanka] and I pulled up in front of my house, in the car, crying…It was very hard because we were the best that season.”
It remains to be seen if Mourinho gets his wish of Roma winning the Conference League and Real Madrid bagging the Champions League later this month.
