TMW
Roma striker Valentina Giacinti spoke in the mixed zone after the penalty shootout win over Fiorentina in the Italian Women’s Cup final: “We are very happy, given the way the match was going it was very difficult to overturn it, but we showed we have a great mentality. This group is really strong and we are happy to have brought it home.”
Your great quality was raising it mentally when perhaps no one believed it
“At 3-1 on the bench we were already thinking about the worst, I’ll tell you the truth, because it was a difficult result to overturn against such a technical and playing team, but the strength of the group won today and I think we deserve it”
Was the change dictated by physical problems or something else?
“I don’t know, the coach probably needed something more on the wing. The important thing was to have brought home this victory.”
You put your mind to the goal even risking something
“When I saw the ball I said to myself whatever happens, I’ll get punched in the face, but the important thing is to score. When I heard the roar I realized I had scored and I was very happy. The blow has passed.”
Is finally winning the Cup after two lost finals a liberation?
“Mine would have been the fourth defeat because I had also lost with the Milan shirt against Roma. At 3-1 I didn’t know what to think anymore, I tried to be positive and believe in my teammates. Together we pushed hard from the outside”
What did you say to each other before the penalties?
“Nothing, just who was the freshest to take the penalty, the one who mentally felt like it. Each of us chose and we went with confidence.”
What will you take with you from this season?
“I’m taking the Champions League with me where I think I’ve taken a further step at an international level, playing with high-quality teams. At the beginning of the season I set out to want to do well not only in the league, but also in Europe. And then the two titles, but also the regret of the Super Cup. It happens that you lose a single match, we could have lost it today too, but we managed to turn it around.”