Gian Piero Gasperini insists Roma ‘felt we could win’ the game with Napoli even after going 3-2 down, and is ultimately satisfied with a 3-3 draw. ‘It’s another positive confidence booster.’
The Giallorossi showed they refused to give up after going 2-0 down at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to an acrobatic Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa bicycle kick and Scott McTominay header.
They scored twice in five minutes with Matias Soulé and Leonardo Balerdi to claw it back, only to go behind again to a McTominay strike from outside the box.
There was one final twist as Balerdi nodded in a Wesley cross at the back post for the 3-3 draw at the 89th minute.
Gasperini belief in Roma growing
“Apart from the first half-hour, where Napoli were superior and we struggled playing out from the back, we already started to do better towards half-time and then in the second half it was wide open with many chances,” Gasperini told DAZN Italia.
“We felt that we could win the game, so that third Napoli goal could’ve destroyed us, but instead we got back on track and felt this great conviction we could bring home three points.
“The lads were not frenetic, they didn’t panic, we maintained our positions and our style of football. The goals came from quality football too, we had fresh energy with Balerdi, Molina and the others who came off the bench.
“I want to single out Soulé, who had an extraordinary performance, as did Ndicka and others. We are in a great moment of form, we have real self-belief, we play good football, and after this game we really feel as if we’ve dropped two points, even though considering we were 3-2 down, we’ll take it.”
Roma have drawn their three biggest games in Serie A so far this season, 2-2 with Inter, 0-0 at Como when down to 10 men, and now 3-3 away to Napoli.
“They are all very different matches, but in all three we felt that we were very competitive with the best in the league,” noted Gasperini.
“We came close to beating Inter, even if they recovered two goals, while with Como we were down to 10 men for practically the entire second half, but in the first half were positive. Today, considering the quality of Napoli, having come back to get the result was another positive confidence booster for us.”
Balerdi was a very late signing for Roma in the summer and he popped up with two goals today.
“There is no doubt that Balerdi and De Roon were leaders and captains at their clubs, their support has been extraordinary. They settled in very quickly, it was easier with De Roon because I worked with him for so many years, but Balerdi knows football, understood the defensive movements very quickly, he has remarkable energy and today scored two goals. A great reinforcement,” added Gasperini.
“Napoli won the Scudetto twice in the last few years, so if you are competitive against them, it gives you the strength and confidence to fight it out with anyone.”
Gasperini and Max Allegri are great friends, so did the Roma coach run into his Napoli counterpart after that red card on the touchline?
“No. I hope he wasn’t angry with me, I wasn’t the one who sent him off!” smiled Gasp.