Jose Mourinho is known as one of football’s greatest tactician but he left many fans confused with his latest move during a pre-season friendly between AS Roma and Albanian club Partizani Tirana. Mourinho took a bizarre decision, forcing Roma to play with ten men in the final ten minutes of the match. The Serie A side, however, wrapped the contest with a 2-1 win at the Air Albania Stadium.
Stephan El Shaarawy and Andrea Belotti scored a goal each to put Roma 2-0 ahead in the opening 45 minutes. Such was Roma’s dominance that Mourinho asked new signing Houssem Aouar to come off in the 79th minute, leaving Roma with ten players on the field.
Roma had already exhausted their allotted substitutions by that time and his move left many wondering. The player himself was not happy with the decision.
The ball was with Partizani when Mourinho called Aouar and asked him to stay on the sideline. Aouar was not a very happy person then but Mourinho tried explaining the newcomer about his plans.
Partizani used the opportunity to score a goal in the closing stages as they successfully converted a spot kick in the 85th minute.
Classy move by Mourinho
As per Corriere dello Sport, an Italian national sports newspaper based in Rome, Mourinho made the forced substitution to level both the sides. It was reported that Partizani manager Zoran Zekic made a mistake by accidentally reintroducing a player, who was already substituted. The referee didn’t allow it, which left the hosts with ten players.
It appeared a bit harsh, considering it was a pre-season friendly but Mourinho ensured that both the sides compete with equal number of players.
Roma’s previous season
Roma under Mourinho had finished sixth in the previous season after 10 points were deducted from Juventus.
They also made it to the finals of UEFA Europa League but ended up as runners-up after a defeat in the tiebreakers against Sevilla.