Verona coach Ivan Juric admits Bologna ‘deserved to win and did better’ than his team, but was furious over the move that led to the penalty.
A Riccardo Orsolini spot-kick proved the difference, earned when Marco Silvestri parried the initial Orsolini effort and then brought down Roberto Soriano on the rebound.
Verona coach Ivan Juric admits Bologna ‘deserved to win and did better’ than his team, but was furious over the move that led to the penalty.
A Riccardo Orsolini spot-kick proved the difference, earned when Marco Silvestri parried the initial Orsolini effort and then brought down Roberto Soriano on the rebound.
“We can’t concede a goal like that. It was a bad enough situation with the through ball, as we worked on those all week, then they were quicker on the rebound,” Juric told Sky Sport Italia.
“We had prepared for Federico Dimarco to be tighter on the loose ball, or the centre-back to cover, but we left this gap and it’s the kind of goal that we shouldn’t be conceding. We did it in a fairly similar way here last season, we weren’t sharp or quick enough to react to the danger.
“Bologna deserved it, they played better, and although we could’ve equalised in the second half, we didn’t do enough to get the points. I tip my hat to them.”
Nikola Kalinic had a big chance to draw Verona level, but seemed sluggish and off the pace.
“I maintain if he trains with the group for 10 days, that’ll make the difference. I know everyone wants everything straight away, but Kalinic has been playing on and off for three years, we need some patience.
“We had some good spells today, but I believe Bologna deserved the win.”
This was only Bologna’s third clean sheet in the last 18 Serie A games, while it was also the fourth time this season that Verona failed to find the net.
“It was a tough game with few chances for either side. We shouldn’t have conceded that goal, then Bologna clammed up and left even fewer spaces, so we didn’t make the most of the opportunities that we did create.
“It could’ve ended in a draw, but I still think Bologna did a little better than we did. I didn’t see a lack of effort or motivation, just that Bologna did better.”
Adrien Tameze had been expected to start, but pulled out after failing a fitness test this morning, joining Miguel Veloso in the stands.
“He had this twinge in training yesterday, we didn’t want to risk him doing real damage, so we didn’t have any other alternatives in midfield. It’s only natural we will lose something in the middle. Darko Lazovic tried his best in a new role, but there wasn’t much else we could do.”