Inter fans made sure their former coach José Mourinho received a warm welcome on his return to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza tonight.
The Special One had already played in Milan against the Rossoneri this season but never faced Inter at San Siro since he left the club in 2010.
Tonight, he is facing his ex-club in a Coppa Italia quarter-final clash and his return to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza was among the most significant talking points in Italy today.
Inter fans cheered on their former coach when the Roma line-up was announced before the match, while ultras in the Curva Nord unveiled a banner dedicated to the Portuguese coach.
'Welcome back home, Jose'#InterRoma #Mourinho #CoppaItalia pic.twitter.com/R31iHK9o2I
— Lorenzo Bettoni (@LoreBetto) February 8, 2022
“Welcome back home, José,” the banner read. Mourinho didn’t follow Roma’s warm-up from the pitch and came out from the tunnel after his players before kick-off.
The whole Meazza crowd chanted his name and Mourinho thanked them twice, even coming out from the bench.
His Roma players had a slow start as the ex Giallorossi striker Edin Dzeko gave Inter the lead after less than two minutes.
You can follow Inter-Roma live on the Football Italia live blog here.