Former Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco recounted the ill-fated events that led to his sacking after the historic Barcelona comeback.
In a recent interview with Marca, Di Francesco recalled the Champions League night that saw the Giallorossi overturn an initial 4-1 result against Barcelona as well as the unfortunate ending to his tenure at the club in 2019.
“I believed in the comeback. I thought it was possible because, despite going down 4-1 in the first leg, we played a great match. I chose to play a very aggressive game,” said Di Francesco.
“Now it seems easy to say, but everyone believed in the comeback. I remember that when Manolas scored the third goal everyone was celebrating and I was still giving directions. Florenzi looked at me and said ‘coach, I don’t believe it’, so I tried to keep the tension high.”
“The only shots on target we received were in the last four minutes. It was a feat, but, I always say that that feat brought me bad luck. It almost seems that I was punished by fate after that match.”
“The defeat in the last derby, together with the elimination with Porto in the Champions League the following year, led to my sacking. It was a complicated moment: I got into a fight with some players, I won’t say who. It didn’t help me morally, I didn’t like what was happening in the dressing room.”
