Stephan El Shaarawy concedes “chances of qualification with Liverpool are slim, but they were against Barcelona too and nobody believed Roma could get through the group.”
The Giallorossi were beaten 5-2 at Anfield, but two late goals from Edin Dzeko and Diego Perotti left some hope of another epic comeback in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final.
“Now we have to prepare against Chievo, which is fundamental to retain third place, and then we’ll think about Liverpool,” El Shaarawy told reporters at a public event.
Stephan El Shaarawy concedes “chances of qualification with Liverpool are slim, but they were against Barcelona too and nobody believed Roma could get through the group.”
The Giallorossi were beaten 5-2 at Anfield, but two late goals from Edin Dzeko and Diego Perotti left some hope of another epic comeback in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final.
“Now we have to prepare against Chievo, which is fundamental to retain third place, and then we’ll think about Liverpool,” El Shaarawy told reporters at a public event.
“We’ll have to make another incredible comeback, but we’ve proved that we can do it against Barcelona and need a similar performance.
“I don’t know if I’ll start the second leg, but we must all be ready for this game, whether we start, come off the bench or are just cheering on our teammates.
“We’ll need a perfect performance without any mistakes, because conceding a goal could decide who gets to the Final. Liverpool are unpredictable in attack and we need a performance of great substance.
“We tried the same tactical approach as we used against Barcelona and it didn’t go well, because Liverpool were lethal on the counter-attack. The system won’t be as important as the mentality and refusal to give in.
“Our chances of qualification are slim, but they were against Barcelona too, just as nobody believed Roma could get through the group, let alone finish top ahead of Chelsea and Atletico Madrid. We believe to the end.”
Former Roma star Mohamed Salah was decisive in the first leg, scoring two goals with two assists.
“He was strong even here, but has grown exponentially over the last few months and reached an incredibly fast maturation. I am happy for him, as he’s a lovely guy with great values who looks at every detail. He deserves every success.”
The game was overshadowed by the shock attack on 53-year-old Liverpool fan Sean Cox, which saw two Roma ultras remanded in custody and denied bail.
“This is intolerable and mustn’t exist in the world of football. I want to pass on the message of clean football.”