Tough night for Mourinho. Salzburg coach copied his goal celebration, after the defeat the Portuguese questioned the level of the Austrian league

AS Roma played in Salzburg, Austria, on Thursday in the Europa League. The Red Bull-owned team is an unpleasant opponent for everyone and the Italians felt it too. Jose Mourinho had a very bitter evening. Not only did his team lose, he even saw a replica of his iconic celebration himself.

Red Bull Salzburg is sovereignly the best team in Austria, however, it also puts in good and attractive performances in the European Cups every year. It cannot be written off in any match. It has already played against the biggest clubs in Europe.

It was therefore clear that AS Rome would not have an easy time in the first knockout stage of the Europa League. However, Jose Mourinho believed that the first leg in Salzburg would turn out much better than how it actually ended.

For a long time it looked like the match would end in a goalless draw, but in the 88th minute Nicolas Capaldo scored the only goal of the game to give Red Bull a 1-0 win.

Apart from the goal, however, Mourinho had to watch something he knows all too well. The goal celebration of his coaching rival Matthias Jaissle. The latter emulated one of the Portuguese strategist’s iconic celebrations.

The cameras then, understandably, focused on Mourinho to capture his reaction. It was all telling.

After the defeat, Mourinho criticised the standard of the Austrian league

If anyone doesn’t like losing, it’s Jose Mourinho. It’s not unusual for him to take his frustrations out on someone after losing a game. And now the Austrian top flight, which he says gives Salzburg a huge advantage, has become the target of his criticism.

“We don’t play in the same league as Salzburg. Every league game is extremely difficult for us. Every league point is worth gold to us. Salzburg are dominant in their league, have easy games and can afford to rotate their line-up,” Kicker quoted the Portuguese coach as saying.

However, the return leg will be played in Rome, where the atmosphere is generally electric every game after Mourinho’s arrival. Fans feel that with the Portuguese at the helm, their beloved team can achieve something sensational.

After all, Mourinho convinced them of that last season when he led Roma to victory in the Europa Conference. Now he dreams of winning the Europa League and qualifying for the Champions League.

Source: Kicker, UEFA, Twitter