Beautiful Moment As Mourinho Reunites With Xabi Alonso for First Time as Managers: Video

• Xabi Alonso faced his former manager Jose Mourinho for the first time in a European semi-final
• The game ended in defeat for Alonso, with AS Roma carrying a slender advantage ahead of the second leg
• Mourinho had previously predicted the former Spanish midfielder would make a great coach

Jose Mourinho shared a wonderful moment with his former player Xabi Alonso when the two met during the semi-final of the Europa League on May 11.

Alonso took his Leverkusen side to Stadio Olimpico for the first leg, looking to stop Mourinho's AS Roma from reaching back-to-back European finals. Mourinho guided the Giallorossi to the UEFA Conference League triumph last season on its inaugural edition.

A rebound finish from Edoardo Bove in the 63rd minute was enough to separate the two sides ahead of next week's encounter at the Bay Arena in Leverkusen.

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Before the match, Alonso and Mourinho shared a passionate hug. Alonso played for Mourinho between 2011 and 2013 at Real Madrid. The duo won the La Liga title and the Copa Del Rey.

Mourinho on Alonso as manager

In a previous interview, The Special One had expressed confidence that the Spanish midfielder would make a great coach.

"With Xabi Alonso, you always saw there was a manager there. Similarly to me, his father was a player. He grew up with a father who was a player, then a manager, and then he became a player, of course, much better than I was.

"His knowledge of the game was very high. And then he played in Spain, England, and Germany. And he was coached by Guardiola at Bayern, by myself at Real Madrid, by Ancelotti at Real Madrid, and by Benitez at Liverpool," he said, as quoted by Daily Mail.

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Pogba's brilliance against Sevilla

In the other semi-final, Sports Brief reported that Paul Pogba is finally seeing daylight in his second stint at Juventus, almost a year since he returned to Italy, after six years in England with Manchester United.

Pogba was given 20 minutes off the bench in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final against Sevilla on May 11.

The Spanish team appeared to be taking the advantage away from the Allianz Stadium, before the Frenchman stepped up with an assist for Federico Gatti, who scored to earn a draw in the final seconds.