Fonseca pleased with character shown

Here's what coach Paulo Fonseca had to say on Sunday, following the 3-1 away win over Genoa.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan was the hero of the afternoon for the Giallorossi, scoring a hat-trick to deliver all three points at the Luigi Ferraris.

Here's what Fonseca had to say after the contest...

Roma showed their bravery today, to bounce back after the equaliser and win the game…

“It was a win full of character, the team showed a really great attitude. We created a few different chances to score – and Genoa scored from the only mistake we made.”

Were you worried about the possibility of a dip in concentration allowing Genoa to get back into the game?

“We need to keep our concentration for the entire 90 minutes. After the third goal it was important we defended well, and I think the players all understood that. I’m really pleased with the attitude they showed.”

Are you happy with how Borja Mayoral played?

“Borja had a decent game, he worked really hard. When we made the change for Bryan Cristante, we moved Lorenzo Pellegrini to the left and that seemed to help us. But the decisions Borja made were almost always the right ones. He missed a chance, but that happens.”

Do you think the team has the quality required to qualify for the Champions League?

“We need to think about everything on a game-by-game basis. What we want to achieve doesn’t change on the basis of one victory. I’ve already said a few times that we want to do better than we did last season and so, with each game, we are working hard to be better.”

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is elevating this team...

“Micki, Pedro… they are players with a lot of experience. Micki knows how to play in a number of different roles, he’s a really clever footballer. Today he scored three important goals for the team and he worked really hard too – but the important thing is that we won.”

Are you hopeful of getting that point against Verona back on appeal?

“Yes. As I’ve always said, there was a mistake made but we did not gain any advantage from it. Let’s see what happens.”