Fonseca pleased by performance, if not final result

Roma twice took the lead against the reigning Serie A champions through Jordan Veretout, only to be twice pegged back by goals from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Adrien Rabiot’s second half red card gave the Giallorossi a numerical advantage for the final half-hour, but a decisive goal would prove elusive.

Did the team lack a bit of killer instinct in the final 30 minutes – was this a missed opportunity?

“We played well, but I’m not happy with the final result. We created chances to win the game. Unfortunately we weren’t able to do that.”

Edin Dzeko didn’t score tonight – was that partly a result of recent events?

“Dzeko seemed calm and focused to me. Today he worked really hard for the team. He missed some chances, as did others. But he had a good game.”

How come the team seemed to fade after the red card for Juventus?

“The team looked focused to me throughout the game. There was that red card, but we didn’t give Juventus a lot of chances. Defensively we didn’t make many mistakes. I substituted Lorenzo Pellegrini because he was tired.”

You made just two changes – why?

“We can make five changes but, considering that the team was playing well, I opted not to use them. I asked Mkhitaryan and Dzeko if they were okay, and they told me they were.”

Do you have confidence in the way the club is going?

“I have total confidence in the club. The new chairman has just arrived. We talk often. We are working hard to find the best options to improve the team. So there’s no issue in terms of my faith in them.”

Did they ask for your opinion about possibly letting Dzeko leave?

“This was something we have all discussed.”