Cristian Brocchi assures he did not dive for the penalty, but Lazio” data-scaytid=”4″>Lazio had to win because “we were sick of being made fun of.”
The midfielder burst through the middle and fell after contact with Simon Kjaer, earning a penalty and a red card in the 2-1 win over Roma.
Cristian Brocchi assures he did not dive for the penalty, but Lazio had to win because “we were sick of being made fun of.”
The midfielder burst through the middle and fell after contact with Simon Kjaer, earning a penalty and a red card in the 2-1 win over Roma.
“I knew Hernanes could give me that through ball and had also seen Roma were struggling to deal with that type of run,” Brocchi told Sky Sport Italia.
“It wasn't a dive. He got my arm and the momentum swung me round, so it was simply the natural movement of my body in that situation.”
The victory ends a run of five consecutive Derby della Capitale defeats for the Aquile.
“Only those who have played in a Rome derby can know what it means to win. It's an important victory, because we were a little sick of being made fun of. We wanted to give our fans this joy they had been waiting for a long time.”
The breakthrough should calm the extremely tense rapport between Coach Edy Reja and part of the Lazio ultras.
“We also needed this win to enter the hearts of the fans. There has been some confusion around the Coach, as he has always been a reference point for us.”
Roma captain Francesco Totti added to the pressure this week when he said Reja was their “lucky charm” after losing all four derbies.