Maurizio Sarri believes Lazio could’ve forced FC Porto to extra time if they had equalised a little earlier, but is at least glad now they’re out of the Europa League, ‘we can train properly.’
Just like the first leg, the Biancocelesti had taken the lead, this time through Ciro Immobile, but were overturned to trail 2-1.
Danilo Cataldi eventually made it 2-2 in stoppages, but they were eliminated 4-3 on aggregate.
Europa League | Lazio 2-2 Porto (3-4 agg): Aquile capitulate to Conceicao
“We played a good game, but leave with a bitter taste in our mouths,” Sarri told Sky Sport Italia.
“We had a real wobble for 10 minutes after conceding the first goal, but if we’d managed to get the equaliser for 2-2 earlier, I am convinced we would’ve scored again and taken it to extra time.
“Porto reached the Champions League quarter-finals last season, we knew they were a great team. We take the positive performance and finally now we’ll be able to train properly during the week.”
The coach has never disguised his irritation with the Europa League, considering it a drain on resources and the scheduling deeply damaging to his work in training.
He said last week that if not for the Europa League, Lazio would already be competing for the top four in Serie A.
“We struggled to be competitive on three fronts, because playing every three days with new injuries every week, it was tricky. However, I finally get the feeling this is a team now, and that is an important step forward.
“Now we hope to recharge the batteries in time for the next match, even if we feel very tired right now.”