Lazio pass Rossi's test of character
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
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Coach Delio Rossi said S.S. Lazio had "proved our great character" after coming from behind to snatch a group stage place at FC Dinamo Bucureşti's expense.
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S.S. Lazio coach Delio Rossi hailed his players' team spirit as they came from behind to win 3-1 at FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti to book a place in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League with a 4-2 aggregate success.
'Fantastic group'
"I want to thank the whole squad for this great result," said the 46-year-old coach who has guided Lazio back to the group stage for the first time since 2003/04. "I knew I could count on a fantastic group and tonight the lads confirmed it once again. We were facing several problems with injuries and suspensions but we proved our great character."
Bratu opener
Lazio did not play well in the first half and Florin Bratu deservedly gave the home side the lead. However Rossi's men were completely transformed after the break. Tommaso Rocchi, who had missed a penalty in the first leg in Rome, made no mistake from the spot to level the score this time before setting up the second goal for Goran Pandev and hitting the third himself.
Tough situation
"We were a bit too tense during the first half and we didn't play as well as we can," Rossi said. "However, I think that was normal because there were a number of players who were making their debuts at this level and it is never easy to play away games like this with the fans giving such great support to the home side. In the second half we changed completely as we worked out how we could play to create problems for them. After equalising we started to play with much less pressure on us and finally showed some good football. I think we were superior to Dinamo over 180 minutes. I really believe we deserved to go through."
Team ethic
The Lazio coach gave special mention to the performance of 19-year-old full-back Lorenzo De Silvestri but preferred to talk about the spirit of the whole group, saying: "I put all my faith in these lads and now they are paying me back. The team spirit was the key to this victory. Now we hope to continue on this path with harmony inside the group as we try to do justice to this great achievement."
