Sarri: "This Match Was Played For The Fans And We Are Delighted To Be Able To Provide Entertainment For The Lazio Fans."

In the Coppa Italia's quarter-finals at Stadio Olimpico, Maurizio Sarri made a point of highlighting Lazio's deserving victory over AS Roma, asserting that the scoreline of 1-0 did not accurately reflect their superiority. The coach confidently stated that the Giallorossi had zero opportunity to find the back of the net during the match.

During the match against AS Roma, Lazio had limited opportunities to score and ultimately only capitalized on one chance when Mattia Zaccagni successfully converted a penalty following Dean Huijsen's foul on Taty Castellanos.

According to Jose Mourinho, the penalty adhered to the standards of contemporary football as it was solely granted with the assistance of VAR. However, Sarri held a contrasting opinion, asserting that it was undeniably a penalty.

"Reviewing the video, I observed that it was a penalty, the defender did not even approach the ball, and the only action taken by the referee was to observe the screen for eight seconds," said Sarri as reported by Football-Italia.

"However, it's noteworthy because, beyond the three or four minutes preceding the game's conclusion, Roma had no opportunities to convert. And it was a shame that we failed to increase our lead by 20 minutes, overall, it was a very tight 1-0 in regards to our performance."

In the six Derby della Capitale matches against Roma, the Italian coach has emerged victorious in four, suffering only one defeat since taking charge of the Biancoceleste. Adding to the significance of the occasion, last Wednesday marked his birthday, but he made an unexpected revelation.

"I don't think too much about the Coppa Italia because, even in Serie A, the rivalry is more significant than simply three points. This match was played for the fans and we are delighted to be able to provide entertainment for the Lazio fans."

“Plus spending my birthday night losing in the derby would be very sad.”