Neil El Aynaoui spoke at a post-match press conference for Udinese vs. Roma, which saw the Giallorossi lose due to a dubious free kick.
On the difficult return from the Africa Cup of Nations, which they only missed out on in the final: “I’ve turned a page after the Africa Cup of Nations. I’ve already played one game, and I feel good.”
On Udinese’s physicality: “We knew we’d face a physical, intense team. Unfortunately, the goal was unlucky and decided the match.”
El Aynaoui emphasized that Roma were unlucky in conceding the goal. The free kick, scored by Jurgen Ekkelenkamp with a crucial deflection off Donyell Malen, should not have been awarded, according to Gian Piero Gasperini. And the coach flew into a rage, throwing an object from his technical area.
Roma attempted to turn the game around with a final push: they had found the net through Bryan Cristante, but the assist provider, Kostas Tsimikas, was offside.
