“Lukaku needs to be loved”
“AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho said that Romelu Lukaku needs love after watching him score his debut goal on loan from Chelsea,” global soccer media ‘GOAL’ reported on the 18th (KST).
Roma cruised to a 7-0 victory over Empoli in the fourth round of the 2023/24 Italian Serie A on Sunday at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, thanks to a brace from Paulo Dybala and a debut goal from Romelu Lukaku.
Argentine striker Dybala opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first two minutes, before a header from Cesc Fabregas and an own goal gave Roma a 3-0 halftime lead. Ten minutes into the second half, Dybala found the back of the net once again to complete his multi-goal haul.
Then, in the 34th minute, Italian midfielder Bryan Cristante scored his team’s fifth goal with a stunning mid-range strike, before Lukaku rattled the Empoli net in the 37th minute on the counter-attack when he received a penetrating pass from Andrea Belotti, found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and got his foot to the ball before the keeper. It was Lukaku’s first goal for Roma in two games.
Finally, in the 41st minute, Italian center back Gianluca Mancini, the team’s vice-captain, scored a header to give Roma a comfortable three points at home with a 7-0 victory over Empoli. The win over Empoli marked Roma’s first win in four league games since the start of the season and puts them in 12th place in the league (4-1W, 1D, 2L). Empoli, on the other hand, remained in 20th place in the league table, having lost all four of their opening games, including a heavy defeat against Roma.
After the game, Roma boss Mourinho opened up about Lukaku, who scored his first goal of the season. Lukaku, the 6-foot-3, 191-pound Belgian striker who became the center of attention during the 2023 summer transfer window when he was the subject of speculation over a move from Chelsea to Inter Milan, signed a loan deal with Roma on May 31 and will wear the number 90 shirt for the Nerazzurri this season.
“I found him happy,” Mourinho told DAZN, “He needs to be happy, he needs to be loved, he needs to be wanted,” according to the publication.
“Lukaku arrived at Roma and I immediately realized that the team needed a player like him,” he said, adding, “I think he’s really happy, he obviously loves to win, it’s his nature.” 먹튀검증
Mourinho also spoke out against Inter Milan for not signing Lukaku: “They won the rivalry match 5-1, they’re an amazing team with a lot of attackers, so there’s no reason to be angry with them,” he said, “They should be happy because of their former manager, who needed Lukaku.” The Nerazzurri have won four straight league games since opening the season with a 5-1 thrashing of AC Milan in the “Milan Derby” on Sept. 17 to move to the top of the table.