Roma Primavera today beat Atalanta 2-0 in the Coppa Italia round of 16 to set up a quarter-final meeting with Inter.
Sadiq Umar did the damage with a goal at either end of the game, in the 6th and 85th minutes.
After the final whistle Alberto De Rossi was keen to praise his players for their flying start.
“With so many guys away on international duty and with the first team we could easily have lost sight of just how important a match this was. I told them it was essential that we got stuck into them right from the off – that was more important than ever today. The lads did exactly as I asked then soaked up the pressure and came away with a creditable win.”
De Rossi was also pleased with the clean sheet his side managed to keep against tough opposition.
“We knew we were up against a tricky team. They’re set up very well and have an extremely well-oiled academy behind them. It’s never easy to play against Atalanta so keeping a clean sheet against them is a fantastic achievement.
“They had a few chances but never came really close to scoring. The boys played magnificently. We deserved to take the lead but Atalanta were always a threat because they have some great players – especially Tullio Tulissi. He’s the sort of player who can come up with something special at any moment. We kept them quiet today thanks to a solid defensive display from the whole team.”
Another big test awaits Roma in the quarter-finals in the shape of Inter. However, the Giallorossi boss is unfazed by the prospect of playing the side that currently sits second in Primavera Championship Group B behind this season’s revelation Cagliari.
“We’re always going to have to face the top teams if we want to achieve our goals,” De Rossi explained.
Next up for the Giallorossi Under-19s is a league match against Pescara on Saturday followed by Tuesday’s Youth League visit to Barcelona, and De Rossi again stressed the need to stay focused on the present objective.
He concluded: “Pescara will be the toughest because it comes after a match we deservedly won and before another where we desperately need to pick up points if we want to stay in a competition that’s very important to us.”
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