At the Stadio Olimpico today, Lazio were awarded the Coppa Italia after defeating Atalanta by a score of 2-0. Goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Joaquin Correa in the 82' and 90' were the deciding factors. After the match had concluded, Gian Piero Gasperini - manager of the Nerazzurri - commented on the defeat.
These are the games that are decided by episodes. In the first half, we failed to score on a sensational opportunity, then we conceded a goal on a corner kick in the second half.
Bastos' handball? Honestly, I hadn't noticed from the bench. But overall, I didn't like Banti tonight for the decisions he had made. This was a very serious error by the referee - there is no justification for this oversight. It was not a healthy episode... it changed everything. At the beginning, hearing what the players were saying, I was thinking that it was an involuntary hand ball. Instead, it was very deliberate. However, we must accept defeat sportingly, Lazio is a great team.
We won anyway with our fans; the game could have had many different outcomes, but we are willing to accept defeat as the game was balanced and beautiful.
