Roma came from behind to earn a 2-1 first-leg advantage in their Europa League quarter-final with Ajax.
Davy Klaassen had put the hosts ahead in the first half, and things could have got worse when they won a penalty after the break. But Pau Lopez saved a spot kick for the first time in his Roma career to spark a turnaround.
Lorenzo Pellegrini scored the equaliser before a rocket from Roger Ibanez put Roma ahead.
Ajax will need to score twice to overturn the result next week, but the job isn’t done yet.
Here are five key quotes from Paulo Fonseca in his post-match reaction.
On the balance of the tie
“Ajax are a great team, as we saw tonight, but the lads put in a wonderful performance. Qualification is still open, but winning here was very important.”
On the team’s confidence
“We were always aware that we could score goals here, the team felt confident even during difficult moments. It’s a big victory. It was a match of great intensity and tension, but we did what we prepared.”
On Roma causing their own problems
“It’s true, the disappointing thing is that we often make it difficult for ourselves. We had controlled Ajax’s attacks and they are one of the best teams in Europe going forward. The important thing was we never let our heads drop, we kept going and reacted.”
On the differences between Europa League and Serie A
“I don’t like alibis or excuses, but we mustn’t forget that Roma have been in the top four almost the whole season. There was a moment when we lost important players like Veretout, Mkhitaryan or Smalling. It wasn’t easy.”
On reports of clashes with his squad in training through the week
“I don’t understand why Roma, who are the only team representing Italy in Europe this week, should be surrounded by all these incredible lies. At this moment, we all ought to be encouraging and helping the Italian team. This week there was all sorts of chaos created with this incredible lie, the idea that the players confronted me and we had some meeting before training. It’s all a lie, it’s not right.”
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