FC Porto was eliminated from the Europa League after losing 3-2 to AS Roma in the decisive match of the playoff to qualify to the Round of 16. After the match, Martín Anselmi said that the team had “a good first half, showed attitude in the second and went in search of the tie even with a player down”. “AS Roma has good players, it was already going to be difficult on equal terms and with one less player 50 minutes in, it became even more difficult”, explained the Argentinian coach, guaranteeing that the team is “more prepared to win” after facing “situations like this”.

A resume of the 90 minutes
“When you have good players up front, two individual plays from Dybala ended up cancelling our lead in six minutes and it became 2-1. We had a good first half and in the second we showed attitude, we went for the tie even with one man down. It was a game with a lot of stoppages, very balanced, with a lot of duels and we had to win them, as well as the second balls. When we got it, we scored, but they had Dybala between lines doing what he does best.”

The refereeing
“AS Roma has good players, it would have been difficult enough on equal terms and, with one less player 50 minutes in, it became more difficult. We could still have tied and they should have had a player sent off too. Our card wasn't red, a yellow for each side would have been enough. That completely affected the game.”

Samu's comments
“The more times we face situations like this, the more prepared we'll be to win. We want to come back here to be better prepared.”

The first defeat
“We'll fight until the end, that's the essence of this club. Against everything and everyone.”

Praise for the squad
“The players had courage and bravery, they went after the result with one man less and we could have tied on Samu's chance. Gonçalo Borges also had chances to score, but it wasn't our day. Tomorrow, when I watch the game again, I'll better understand what happened without the emotions that contaminate our opinion.”

Samu
“When he didn't score, people said he didn't score. Now he scores a great goal and they say he only scored one goal... there's constant dissatisfaction with the players. Today, Samu went all out, fought hard, won spaces, pressed and won balls back. He never got complacent and even scored a goal. I want to emphasise the team's attitude, this is the path we have to follow until the end of the championship.”

Tomás Pérez and William Gomes
“The future of the club is in good hands, we have very young players with a lot of talent who need to experience more situations like this to be better prepared. We want to be here again, because that's how you gain experience. Tomás made his debut at the Olimpico in Rome at the end of game where we were one man down, losing, and he showed a lot of character. William never shied away from going one-on-one, as did Rodrigo Mora. We have good young players who will grow and who are the future of this club.”