Riccardo Saponara hails the Spezia ‘achievement’ of knocking Roma out of the Coppa Italia with a 4-2 win in extra time, including his brace.
This was the creative midfielder’s first start for the club and he marked it with two goals, including an outrageous chip in extra time.
Riccardo Saponara hails the Spezia ‘achievement’ of knocking Roma out of the Coppa Italia with a 4-2 win in extra time, including his brace.
This was the creative midfielder’s first start for the club and he marked it with two goals, including an outrageous chip in extra time.
“It’s an achievement, because we came here to play with our identity. We showed courage from the start, scored two early goals, proving that Spezia play football against anyone,” Saponara told RAI Sport.
“We suffered a little in the second half, as Roma are a strong team, but we continued to play our football. They have the quality to find passing channels and create chances out of nothing.
“We were prepared to take it all the way to penalties, but the incidents went our way and we managed to get it locked down before then.”
The incidents were Gianluca Mancini and Pau Lopez getting themselves sent off in extra time, with two red cards in the space of 30 seconds.
Spezia will face Napoli in the Coppa Italia quarter-final on January 27.
Incredibly, Spezia would've won anyway 3-0 by default, because in extra time Roma made their sixth substitution, when only five were allowed.