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Gifts from The Morning Star
Mancini's own goal leaves Europa Conference League semi-final firmly in balance
Leicester City's Ademola Lookman (second right) celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Uefa Europa Conference League semi-final, first leg match

Leicester City 1-1 AS Roma
by Layth Yousif at Filbert Way

JOSE MOURINHO believes the second leg of this captivating tie will be like a final, after his AS Roma side drew 1-1 at Leicester City in the first leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday evening. 

At the raucous Filbert Way, Ademola Lookman’s persistence led to Gianluca Mancini’s 67th minute own goal, to cancel out Giallorosso captain Lorenzo Pellegrini’s first half opener – leaving the match firmly in the balance ahead of next week’s second leg at the Stadio Olympico, as both sides battle to reach the final in the Albanian capital Tirana on May 25. 

After a thrilling contest to leave the outcome finely poised, an impish Mourinho said: “The winner of the Rome ‘final’ has to win the Albanian final,” adding with a foreboding tone for the Foxes: “For us, it makes a difference to play at home with 70,000…if the stadium held 300,000, there would be 300,000 there.”

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