Mancini and Roma ‘really irritated’ by cheap Athletic Club equaliser | OneFootball

Gianluca Mancini admits Roma find it ‘really irritating’ they conceded such a cheap equaliser in the Europa League draw with Athletic Club and he ‘understands’ the fan protests.

It had been a good opening to the tournament for the Giallorossi, who dominated the first half and broke the deadlock with Artem Dovbyk’s third goal in as many games.

However, they ran out of steam in the second half and sat increasingly deep, eventually beaten by Aitor Paredes nodding in a knocked down Alex Berenguer free kick from six yards.

Mancini frustrated after Roma stalemate

“We did well in the first half against a strong team with a lot of pace. We could’ve gone 2-0 up with Soulé, but he mustn’t worry, he’s got the goal in his blood,” Mancini told Sky Sport Italia.

“Athletic introduced players with real speed at the hour mark, we got too deep, but they still didn’t create very much.

“Conceding a goal on a set play is really irritating. If we’d been a bit more active on that situation, we wouldn’t have conceded the goal. We’ve got to work on these errors, because those details can be fundamental.”

There was again a tense atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico, as the ultras in the Curva Sud were totally silent for the first 15 minutes and had jeered the players during the warm-up.

The attendance was also considerably lower than Roma are accustomed to, as they continue to protest against the decision to fire coach Daniele De Rossi.

“We understand them. We too were so sad about what happened and we cannot disguise that De Rossi was fundamental for us and a great coach,” concluded Mancini.