In the early hours of Thursday (4) morning, Roma FC defeated Cremona 2-1 at home in the Coppa Italia Round of 16 thanks to a goal each from two star scorers Romelu Lukaku and Paulo Dibana, advancing to the last 8 where they will meet crosstown rivals Lazio. However, Roma's recent difficulties against teams from the second division, coupled with the club's plans to sell some of its players in order to reduce payroll costs, are expected to perform much less well in the second half of the season, making manager Jose Mourinho's departure from the club this summer much more likely.
It is worth mentioning that Roma met Cremona in the knockout round of the Coppa Italia last season, and the team was extremely resilient against their arch-rivals again this time. In the first half, Roma created five excellent scoring chances, two of which hit the goalposts and bounced out, while a mistake by the opposing defense allowed Cremona to break the deadlock first.
Mourinho quickly brought on Paulo Dibana to bolster the attack, and in the 77th minute, Lukaku leveled the score with a powerful shot. In the 85th minute, Roma got a penalty kick opportunity, Paulo Dibbana one, the score back to 2-1. In the Argentine striker kicked the ball before the moment, Mourinho was so nervous that he almost did not dare to look at him directly, which can be seen that he was under a lot of pressure at that time.
Despite Roma's success in reaching the last eight of the Coppa Italia, the club still plans to cut expenses, including preparing to sell two defenders, Keith Smith and Spinazzola, in order to reduce the payroll. This move may have caused Mourinho's displeasure, leading him to refuse to renew his contract. The Newcastle side are reportedly interested in inviting the Portuguese star to take charge.
