Sarri: "We Took The Positives From This Performance And Finally We Were Able To Train Properly For A Week"

Maurizio Sarri believes Lazio can push FC Porto into extra time if they can equalize early, but at least he is happy they got out of UEL because they were able to train well.

As was the case in the first leg Lazio took the lead this time through Ciro Immobile but they then turned 2-1 down.  Danilo Cataldi equalized 2-2 in stoppage time, but they were eliminated 4-3 on aggregate.

"We played well, but went out with a bitter taste in our mouths," Sarri said via Sky Sport Italia.

"We were shaky for 10 minutes after conceding the first goal but if we could have equalized at 2-2 early I'm sure we could have scored again and we can take this game into extra time.

"Porto qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season, we know they are a great team, we took the positives from this performance and finally we were able to train properly for a week."

The coach has never hidden his frustration with the Europa League, given that the competition is a drain on the players' resources and its scheduling has severely damaged his performance in training.

He even said last week that if he wasn't involved in the Europa League, the Biancoceleste would already be able to compete in the top four of Serie A.

"We struggle to compete with the top three teams because we play every three days with a new injury every week, it's complicated, however, I finally feel this is a team now and it's an important step forward.

"Now we hope to recover in time for the next game, although we are feeling very tired right now."