It may only have been 43 days since Johnny McMurray scored an invaluable game-winning goal to help the Crusaders lift the Irish Cup, but the big striker already has his sights set on Europa Conference League glory.

he 27-year-old broke Ballymena United’s heart at Windsor Park on May 7, scoring with virtually the final kick at the end of extra time.

It was the last twist of an amazing afternoon. United had led from the ninth minute thanks to Robbie Weir’s clumsy own goal.

With just 60 seconds remaining in four extra minutes, defender Josh Robinson managed to equalize after goalkeeper Jonny Tuffey joined his forwards in kicking in a Paul Heatley corner.

It was left to McMurray to complete the job.

Now, with FC Bruno’s Magpies from Gibraltar, McMurray thinks it’s a great chance for his side to progress and set up a showdown with top Swiss side Basel in the next round.

“It’s a good draw for us,” said McMurray.

“We don’t know much about them, but the boss (Stephen Baxter) will do his homework, there’s no doubt.

“To be honest, I’ve never even heard of it, but they qualified for Europe, so that tells us everything we need to know. It will be good to go, even if it will be very hot in this time of year. I don’t mind.

“Hopefully we’ll have the chance to acclimatize to the conditions before the game.

“If we were successful it would be a massive draw against Basel, they are such a big club. Not so long ago they were in the Champions League group stages, playing Liverpool.

“That’s what’s great about playing in Europe, coming up against teams of this caliber.

“It’s a great way to start the season. I always relish European games because it brings you back earlier and it means you are really in good shape for the start of the domestic season. Your gaming acumen is there.

McMurray admits the celebrations went on for a while after that epic Cup win.

“We enjoyed the celebrations, we spent a few days on the fizz, it was super craic,” he laughs.

“When I replayed the match I hadn’t realized Ballymena were so dominant, they were by far the better side for long periods of the game.

“It was tough for them, but it was great for us. We kept going until the end, other teams could have lowered their heads.

“That’s what’s good about this Crusaders team. We have people who can score goals in different areas, we just don’t rely on strikers.

“Josh appeared deep in injury time, had a little knock at the back post, that was invaluable. I certainly wasn’t counting on Jonny being up there to give a corner kick.

Crues boss Baxter has already been busy in the summer transfer market, signing 27-year-old striker Dean Ebbe from Welsh side Bala Town, but goalkeeper Sean O’Neill has moved to Ballymena United on a permanent basis after a successful loan spell at the end of last season.

“Dean’s arrival means there will be fierce competition for places, which is good,” McMurray continued. “He’s going to give us options.

“The more competition the better, that’s what everyone wants, especially the manager. It helps keep everyone on their toes, it means you have to raise your levels if they want to. keep the shirt.

“Losing Sean is a big blow. I didn’t know he was gone until Thursday night. He’s a great guy and we will miss him in the locker room. He was just one of those characters, he was exciting everyone before games, people like that are hard to find.

“But he just wants to play games and Ballymena United can give him that opportunity, good luck to him.”

Motherwell have drawn either Bala Town or Sligo Rovers in the 2022/23 UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round.

Graham Alexander’s side, competing in Europe for the first time in two years, qualified for the competition after finishing fifth in the Scottish Premiership last season.

And their reward is a clash with either Welsh Premier team Bala or League of Ireland Premier team Sligo Rovers, who play each other in the first qualifying round on July 7 and 14.

It may not have provided the glamorous getaway fans were hoping for, but it does provide a good opportunity for the Steelmen to progress.

Motherwell’s campaign kicks off on July 21 at Fir Park with the second leg a week later on July 28.

It is ‘Well’s first time in UEFA’s brand new tournament, launched last year and won by Jose Mourinho’s Roma.

With ‘Well entering the second stage, it will be difficult to reach the lucrative group stages as they have to go through three rounds (six games) to get there.

If they overtake their opponents, the third qualifying round will take place on August 18 and 25, where Anderlecht, Panathinaikos or FC Twente could await them.

We’ll get reaction from Fir Park boss Graham Alexander later this afternoon, but before the draw he said Lanarkshire Live Sport he would take nothing for granted in their Euro adventure.

He said: “I know how competitive football is. There are five or six teams in the National League (the fifth tier in England) who have bigger budgets than us at the moment.

“They have players over three times the amount of our highest paid player. Just because we may not have heard of a club or player doesn’t mean they aren’t good.

“I learned that playing for Scotland, against teams like Estonia and Lithuania. You didn’t know much about them, but they were very difficult to play against.

“Other clubs will look at us thinking the same thing – ‘it’s only Motherwell.’ We must respect everyone.

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JOSE MOURINHO is tipped to replace Mauricio Pochettino as Paris Saint-Germain coach.

The French champions are about to part ways with Pochettino, who has been walking a tightrope for two seasons.

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And SunSport understands that the Parisians are planning to replace the Argentinian with the reborn Mourinho.

The Portuguese breathed new life into his struggling managerial career with Serie big boys Roma last season.

The Special One guided the Italians to Europa League glory last month and a sixth-place finish in the league.

And the 59-year-old’s stellar debut season at the Stadio Olimpico has promoted PSG chiefs to weigh in a summer blow for his services.

PSG will have to dip into their deep pockets to land the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss as his contract with the Giallorossi expires in the summer of 2024.

And it will take some convincing to leave the Eternal City as he tearfully pledged his future to the club following their European triumph.

He told Sky Italia: “It wasn’t work tonight, it was history. History had to be written. We wrote it.

“The Conference League is a competition that we felt we could win from the start, but it got stronger when the Europa League teams arrived, Leicester City, Olympique de Marseille and Feyenoord.

“But we were counting on it, we could have had a few more points in Serie A, but we have invested so much in this competition.

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“Now I’m staying, there’s no doubt. Even if some rumors emerge, I only want to stay at Roma.

“We have to understand what our owners, who are fantastic people, want to do next season because that’s history, but we can build a really solid project with honest professionals.

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No one was sure of the scale of the Europa Conference League final when the inaugural season of UEFA’s new club competition kicked off in July. The planning had to be dynamic and, even before finalists Roma and Feyenoord were confirmed, they were ready for what project manager Rémi Decouacon described – on several occasions – “a huge operation”. He did not disappoint.

In this article presented by Engelbert Strauss, we find out how UEFA ensured Tirana’s magnificent national stadium was fit for the grand occasion that was the Europa Conference League final.

“It’s a huge operation not only in the National Arena but also in the whole city,” said Decouacon, standing on the immaculate field on the eve of the final. “We take charge of the arena ten days before the game itself and during those ten days we have to settle in, start from scratch and put everything in place.”

Of course, this involved the visual transformation of the site, the decoration of the bleachers of the stands in the colors of the competition as well as the installation of panels at the edge of the field, media and reception areas. UEFA’s special signaling team does the heavy lifting and the branding is not limited to the stadium.

“It’s not just about a 90-minute football match, but also everything that happens in the city, with the meeting points for the fans and the fan festival,” continued Decouacon. More than 50,000 Roma and Feyenoord supporters descended on Tirana for the May 25 showpiece, and as soon as they entered the airport terminal they got a taste of what was to come .

Back at the stadium, senior football operations manager Reto Meier was busy making sure everything was going as smoothly as possible for the teams. For the previous 139 games in the 2021/22 Europa Conference League, the home team largely decides but, according to Meier, for the final “we effectively have two away teams and UEFA takes care of the organisation. “.

This organization is also granular: nothing is left to chance. Meier insists on this point: “We really line up so that everything is on the same side. If the dressing room is on the right side, the same goes for the bench of this team, where they warm up, everything – all on the same side. side, no crossing.” It’s also no coincidence that teams warm up in front of their own fans. Everything planned.

All the hard work was rewarded with a memorable final – for winners Roma, but also Feyenoord and even Albania. The country’s prime minister, Edi Rama, was delighted. “It’s the first time Albania has hosted a European final, something that would have been inconceivable before,” he told Tuttosport. “Everyone who came will no doubt come back one day, and now we have one of the most beautiful stadiums in Europe.”

The hard work was worth it.

As the full-time whistle sounded at Arena Kombëtare, Roma fans everywhere celebrated with joy at being the first team to lift UEFA
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Europa Conference League Trophy.

Not only did this mark the end of the inaugural edition of this new competition, but it also saw the Italian club win their first-ever international trophy and end their 14-year wait for silverware of any kind.

Moreover, it was the first time a Serie A side had lifted a European trophy since Inter’s Champions League triumph in 2010. That the same manager orchestrated both triumphs would certainly not be lost on Jose. Mourinho, but in truth that victory was about so much more than adding another winner’s medal to the Portuguese boss’ impressive collection.

Indeed, it was a story of redemption for so many players at the club. Mourinho’s compatriot and goalkeeper Rui Patricio was rewarded for his decision to leave Wolves, just as 24-year-old Tammy Abraham’s bold decision to leave London at a key point in his career paid off. spectacular way.

Manchester United alumni Chris Smalling and Henrikh Mkhitaryan also started the final, while Lorenzo Pellegrini will never be forgotten by Roma fans after guiding the hometown club to glory.

Just as Giallorossi supporters celebrated, so did their American owners, led by billionaire Dan Friedkin. After buying the club in August 2020, they had taken bold steps – including the appointment of Mourinho – which have now started to reap dividends, with Roma returning to the elite group of Italian football after spending the last few years struggling to keep up.

They may have only finished sixth in Serie A this season, but their win in the Conference League guarantees them a place in the Europa League next season while setting them on a clear upward trajectory.

The prize money of this successful European campaign was also significant. This may pale in comparison to the funds teams earn in the UEFA Champions League, but this prize money will be vital for Roma in the months to come.

According this UEFA report, the club will have received nearly 20 million euros ($21 million) in total for their run to the final. They earned 2.94 million euros ($3.14 million) for reaching the group stage, then 500,000 euros ($534,760) for each of their wins and 166,000 euros ($171,123) for the draw, plus an additional 650,000 euros ($695,188 million) for going over their pool

That gives a group stage total of €5.75 million ($6.15 million), then €300,000 ($320,856 million) for the round of 16 win, €600,000 ($641,712 million) for the round of 16, 1 million euros (1.07 million dollars) for winning in the quarter-finals, 2 million euros (2.14 million dollars) for the semi-finals and 5 million euros ($5.34 million) for winning the competition.

Added to this is a payment of 1.34 million euros ($1.43 million) based on their UEFA coefficient over the past 10 years, and finally – as the only representative of the peninsula – the whole from the Italian market worth an additional 4.36 million euros ($4.66 million).

This gives the sizable sum of 19.63 million euros ($21 million) in total UEFA prize money, a sum which represents a huge boost to Roma’s finances which should help them further strengthen the team available for Mourinho as they look to build on their success. season.

“I have been in Rome for 11 months, I knew from the moment I arrived what it meant for people. They were expecting something like this”, Coach told Sky Italia immediately after the end of the final.

“It wasn’t work tonight, it was history. We had to write history. We wrote it,” Mourinho continued. “We have to see what our owners, who are fantastic people, want to do next season because that’s history, but we can build a special project.

It has already started.