Jose Mourinho says sorry for Roma celebration in match he was scared of losing
Jose Mourinho has apologised for celebrating “like a child” following Roma’s later winner in his 1,000th game as a manager on Sunday.
Mourinho sprinted down the touchline to celebrate with his players in front of the Roma fans after Stephan El Shaarawy curled into the top corner in the 91st minute to secure a 2-1 win over Sassuolo at the Stadio Olimpico.
The dramatic goal ensured Mourinho kept up his perfect league record with the Italian club, who have now won all three of their Serie A matches this season.
Mourinho’s celebration was reminiscent of the famous moment at Old Trafford in 2004 when he slid on his knees after his Porto side knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League.
The 58-year-old rolled back the years to produce a similar sprint onto the pitch – and he later revelled in it on Instagram.
Alongside a picture of him joining the Roma celebrations, Mourinho wrote: “… and no muscular injury!!! 1001 coming fast.”
However, despite the excitement of the occasion, the former Chelsea, United and Tottenham boss did find the time to apologise for his actions.
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"I wasn't 58 years old, but 10 or 12 or 14, when you start dreaming about a career in football,” he said.
“Running like I did – I was running like a child – and I apologised to [Sassuolo coach Alessio] Dionisi for that."
Roma went 1-0 up from Bryan Cristante in the first half but Sassuolo hit back through Filip Duricic midway through the second half before El Shaarawy won it.
Mourinho admitted that his exuberant celebration was born out of his personal delight at winning the landmark match.
"During the week I was lying to people, telling everyone this wasn't a special game – perhaps I was trying to convince myself as well," he revealed.
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"But actually it was: this game had a really special meaning for me. And I am sure I will remember it for the rest of my life, because my 1,000th game as a coach was this one.
"I didn't want to lose it, and I was very scared of having that be my lasting memory of the moment. So I was lying to everyone beforehand. It was a very special feeling.
"Perhaps God decided that I didn't deserve to have a negative memory of this particular game."
Roma face Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia at the Stadio Olimpico in the Europa League on Thursday next before travelling to play Verona in Serie A on Sunday.
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