The Roma coach admits his team’s shortcomings: “We saw the best and worst of ourselves; the absences of Dybala and Soulé really hurt.” The Bologna coach’s joy: “A tough stadium and a hostile atmosphere, but we were the better team.”
A crazy match and a bitter ending. Roma are also out of the Europa League despite a second-half comeback against a Bologna side that found the winner through Cambaghi in extra time. A defeat that confirms Roma’s crisis, as they were booed by the Curva and much of the Olimpico and have gone exactly one month without a win. Gasperini tries to lift morale: “It was a very exciting match. We saw the best and the worst of what we are. The best for almost the entire match, the worst in the mistakes and the chances we conceded.”
Speaking of the mistakes, Gasp insists: “We made errors on every goal, even the first one. It’s a shame because you can’t afford to give those away to a team like Bologna.” A stark contrast to the Roma side that boasted the best defense throughout the first half of the season. “Maybe it’s due to a bit of fatigue and extra pressure,” explains the coach. “I also saw a lot of good things. A team that comes back from two goals down, playing that way. The momentum of the game seemed to be in our favor, then you make mistakes like that and it’s only natural that you lose.” The coach then returned to the topic of the many absences in attack. “I don’t have many options for substitutions,” he reiterated. “They were able to bring on three fresh forwards at a crucial moment. Obviously, if you’re missing players in the same position, you suffer and struggle. Fortunately, we found an extraordinary Malen, but in the first half of the season I had more options with Dybala, Ferguson, Soulè, and the others. When I think about Como and tonight, I don’t have much to say to my players regarding their level of performance. We’ll carry the attacking problem forward. Not having players with certain characteristics is weighing on us, but I can’t blame the boys for anything.” Finally, on Vaz: “He’s a very young player; the fact that he was paid so much weighs on him. A lot is expected of him; he needs to grow. During the game, with his strength and liveliness, he can be useful, but to aim for higher goals, we’ve been missing players of a notable caliber like Dybala or Soulè.”
Pellegrini and Cristante—   Captain Cristante also addressed the boos from the stands. “We’re all disappointed; I imagine that’s how they wanted to express their frustration. We were convinced we’d responded well, but our concentration slipped. We bear responsibility, and we’re conceding too many goals. Are we tired? It happens to every team, even if it shouldn’t be happening right now. There’s little to complain about now.”  Pellegrini echoed this sentiment: “There’s a lot of disappointment today; we tried everything we could to play a great game. We weren’t perfect on the goals, but we always got back into the game. In extra time, I never felt the danger of losing. There’s a lot of disappointment, especially given the dedication that was shown.”

Italiano’s words—  Vincenzo Italiano, on the other hand, was in a completely different mood, describing the victory as a true feat: “To come out on top in a stadium with this atmosphere, against this team, and under these circumstances… it’s impossible not to call it a feat. Especially because you score with a player coming off the bench, and that fills you with even more joy. There’s a bit of luck, but also a lot of skill.” He continued: “I warned everyone at the start of the year: the Europa League costs us points and causes injuries; the season is going exactly as I predicted. If we have fewer points in the league, it’s because we’re here today. Being eighth in the league and, at the same time, having reached this stage of the competition is ‘a big deal.’ All the remaining teams have a more prestigious pedigree and history than ours. A crisis in the past? I wouldn’t call it a crisis; it can happen that you go through a rough patch. We did well to believe in ourselves; I congratulate the boys. Tomorrow we’ll celebrate.”