Roma’s hopes of finishing in the top four took a hit when they lost 2-0 to Juventus on Saturday.
A clinical Cristiano Ronaldo finish in the first half and an own goal from Roger Ibanez in the second half meant the hosts claimed all three points.
Roma’s performance was probing, but not penetrative. There was a lack of conviction in the final third and once again, there seemed to be a mental block against a big team.
Hence, Roma were unable to break Juventus down, and suffered a defeat that saw their rivals leapfrog them in the Serie A table.
Here’s the best of what coach Paulo Fonseca said about the game.
On a lack of cutting edge
“The statistics are the statistics, but the team that scored goals won the game. We may have had more shots, more corners, more possession, but the team that scores, wins.”
On Ronaldo being more clinical than Roma’s attackers
“That’s why he is the best in the world. A player like him makes the difference. I can’t say that we were to blame this time: he’s Ronaldo.”
On whether Edin Dzeko should have started instead of Borja Mayoral
“No. Dzeko was fit to start. He didn’t start because there was another option: Borja is playing well, and today he worked really hard for the team.”
On not taking risks in attack
“We didn’t have a lot of situations where the Juve defence were not already well organised. We got into the final third a lot and, yes, at that point we made mistakes with our final decisions: the crosses or the final pass. That’s where the difference was, where we made mistakes”
On what he can take away from the game
“There are no moral victories in football, but I am proud of my team. The players showed great character. To come here and play with as much courage and conviction as we did gives me a lot of confidence for the future.”
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