Athletic Club’s return to the Europa League on Thursday was a fairly happy one. They had trailed for most of the match against Roma after Artem Dovbyk’s first half goal, but Aitor Paredes’ late equaliser ensured a share of the spoils.
Ernesto Valverde spoke post-match to the media, and he provided his assessment of the 90 minutes at the Stadio Olimpico, as per Diario AS.
“It was a hard-fought game. We started very well in the first 20 minutes, then we suffered because of their quality up front and from there they scored the goal. In the second half we came out with more determination. We pushed a lot and the prize of the draw came. It is a good result for us considering that we were losing.”
Valverde also condemned an incident involving the two sets of supporters – it was reported that a fan in the Athletic Club end of the ground threw a flare into a section of the Roma fanbase.
“We regret the incidents at the end by a part of our fans who do not represent the bulk of them. We understand football as a party and we don’t like it when a flare is lit in the opposite direction. We regret it because it is a stain on the match.”
