Roma earned a promising advantage from the first leg of their Europa League Round of 32 tie with Braga by winning 2-0 on Thursday.
Strikers Edin Dzeko and Borja Mayoral got a goal each to ensure Roma came away from Portugal with a two-goal lead ahead of next week’s second leg at home.
Here are five key quotes from coach Paulo Fonseca in his post-match interviews, via asroma.com.
On players covering in defensive positions
“We had to deal with a lot of issues with our central defenders and finding the right solution to that wasn’t easy. But Spinazzola and Karsdorp did well in those positions. And Veretout, too, did well at full-back. It was tough, but I think all our defenders did really well.”
On how Cristante and Ibanez are after going off with injuries
“I haven’t spoken to the doctor, we will have to check up on them tomorrow. But I think it will be unlikely we have them for the next game [against Benevento].”
On why Dzeko didn’t take the captain’s armband when Cristante went off
“This isn’t a key topic right now. We have to think about the present and then we’ll see about the future. What matters is that he scored a goal tonight.”
On the importance of both strikers scoring
“Yes, they were big goals. Dzeko played really well, and Mayoral came on and did well too. But I think the whole team did well.”
On whether this result means Roma can do better in bigger games
“The truth is we haven’t picked up too many great results against the other big sides, but I have to say that we’ve played most of those games away from home so far this season. Now we have a few of them at home and we are working hard to make sure we are strong against the big sides.”
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