Chris Smalling: "We knew we had to win!"

The England centre-back was named Man of the Match for his efforts in the 1-0 win over Feyenoord and his heroic defending epitomised the team's fighting spirit.

Smalling won six challenges, made four clearances and, time and again, repelled the Dutch outfit who hit the woodwork twice in the second-half as they looked for a way back into the game.

Roma's defence stood firm, however, and Smalling praised the hard-work of the entire team, from back to front.

"We knew how much it would mean to everyone in Rome and you can see how together we are until the end," he said at the final whistle.

"We dropped a bit deeper than we needed to but you could see strikers running back – everyone knew we had to win."

The 32-year-old won his second European trophy under Jose Mourinho after the pair, alongside Henrikh Mkhitaryan, collected Europa League winners' medals in 2017 with Manchester United.

It was his first with Roma, however, and ended the Giallorossi's 14-year wait for a trophy - something Smalling was delighted to achieve.

He added: "When I first came to the club, it had been a long time since they'd won a trophy.

"We've got some of the best fans and we knew how much it was going to mean."