AS Cremonese, who are at the bottom of the table, caused a sensation in Serie A. The team beat AS Roma and celebrated their first win in the league since 1996. Rome's oddball coaching legend Jose Mourinho sees red and has no understanding for it. He senses a conspiracy.
AS Roma have missed out on a Champions League spot in Italy's Serie A after an embarrassing defeat. The team of angry coach Jose Mourinho, who was sent to the stands by referee Mauro Piccini shortly after the break for complaining, lost sensationally 1: 2 (0: 1) at the bottom of the table US Cremonese on the 24th match day. "I'm not thinking about the Champions League today. We have to analyze everything now and start over," confessed Mourinho. "We are responsible for the defeat ourselves, we lacked intensity and will."
Roma remain a point behind fourth-placed local rivals Lazio. For promoted Cremonese, on the other hand, it was the first win in the first Serie A season since 1996 after nine draws and 14 defeats. Attacker Daniel Ciofani scored the winning goal in the 83rd minute with a penalty kick. Mourinho praised the team: "They played the game of their lives."
"I'm not crazy," Mourinho rumbled after the defeat and his dismissal, which apparently affected him more than his team's performance. "Piccini showed me the red card because the fourth official shouted something at him." The dismissal was apparently preceded by a dispute between the coach and the referee on the sidelines. "He didn't tell the referee what he said to me, how he treated me and what triggered my reaction," Mourinho complained, according to Corriere dello Sport. He would like to know if there isn't a recording of the exchange of words. And then the coach also drifted into the realm of conspiracy theories. "I don't want to go into the fact that he's from Turin, we're going to play Juventus next time and he wanted me out."
Even after the game, things didn't calm down. At least not from the point of view of the legendary coach. "When I was in the referees' booth, the fourth official apologized to the chief referee for not treating me with respect." According to the Portuguese, what he said to Mourinho he either didn't want to or couldn't repeat: "He has a memory problem and just forgot it."
At the end of the 24th matchday, Juventus defeated local rivals FC 4:2 (2:2) in a lively Turin derby. The winning goals in the 156th "Derby della Mole" were scored by the Brazilian Bremer (71st) and the Frenchman Adrien Rabiot (81st). Juventus kept their city rivals behind in the table and the club, who have been penalized by 15 points, are now six points away from European glory.
During the game, France international Paul Pogba made his comeback after more than ten months out through injury. The 29-year-old world champion from 2018 came on in the 69th minute when the score was 2-2. Pogba had played his last game on April 19, 2022 while still in the Manchester United shirt. He then suffered from problems in his right knee.
