Roma failed to replicate the result in Nice and suffered their first Europa League defeat.
Lille won 1-0 at the Olimpico.
After the final whistle, Gian Piero Gasperini commented on his team’s performance.
“First of all, I’ve never seen a team of mine miss three penalties in the same match,” he told Sky Sport after the match.
“We went behind very early and put them in the best possible position to play. In the end, Roma, despite technical errors, played with great desire and pace.”
“They chased the result until the end, they conceded a few things, but that’s how it is in Europe. We weren’t strong at taking advantage of opportunities, but you come away from these games with something extra.”
“The missed penalties? I don’t know, it’s truly a unique and random situation and it happens very rarely. It happened and undoubtedly compromised the result. The team gave a lot in terms of tempo, and that penalty could have turned things around. Then you lose and obviously you look at everything negatively, but we come away with a little more value.”
“It wasn’t easy against Lille because they’re a team that counterattacks. In the second half, we managed to maintain consistency in attack. It wasn’t easy to win the ball back and close the gap, but the spirit was high, as was the intensity of the match. Then there were some technical errors that made the difference. We need to make fewer mistakes, and from these errors, they created their dangerous chances. But I have to see how much good the team has done. It’s a competition where the emotion of elimination hasn’t yet set in.”
