Eighteen minutes plus injury time were enough for the match Rome to score the winning goal at Udinese after the match was suspended due to illness Ndicka a couple of weeks earlier. A peculiarity that brought three important points to the Giallorossi in the Champions League: “I had never prepared a match for 20 minutes before – he joked de Rossi at the end of the game -, but the boys applied themselves a lot. On the final corner it went well.” L’exultation was enthralling: “I’m usually composed, in fact I was sorry to celebrate like that, but it was an important goal and proof that we are a strong team that when they want something they go and get it and sometimes luck pays off.”
“These three points have a double value also because they arrived after what we believe was an injustice on the calendar. Karma, however, had this succulent gift in store for us at the last assault. It was our right to ask to have equal time to prepare for the match with the LeverkusenGerman champion – he added -. This did not happen and I believe it is the first time that an Italian team has been penalized in this aspect. The result in the end tonight rewarded us and now we move on to the match against Napoli for which we only have two days to prepare.”
“I look at everything except the competition to see who scores the most points between me and the coach (Mourinho, ed.)” De Rossi continued in response to a question on the progress of the team under the previous technical management. “It’s not a competition with him. It is clear that we are doing well and that we have reopened conversations that seemed closed when I arrived. Not so much for the points but for the teams ahead. The boys are doing an incredible job, but I think that even with Mourinho they would have done it because it all starts from them. They have a huge heart. I think they would have pulled their heads out even without me.”
De Rossi inaugurated Fabio Cannavaro’s first Serie A bench, albeit for a few minutes: “I saw him very excited, I think he can give a lot. We already met last year over the ninety minutes and his team played better than mine – commented De Rossi -, I wish him good luck. I wouldn’t wish relegation to any of the coaches involved in the survival fight, on the contrary, I would be happy if Udinese found salvation.”
