Roma beat Genoa 2-0 in Serie A after they had fumbled a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3 to Real Madrid on Wednesday night. Gian Piero Gasperini said he had no doubt Roma would respond well.
Second-half goals settle the match
Roma scored through Santiago Castro and Emanuele Lulli in the second half. Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia: "This was not an easy match, as Genoa were very difficult to get a hold of especially in the first half with those long balls over the top. We did better after the break, and had a very young squad out there, but I have to say they were excellent. We won a match that counts for a great deal."
Seven changes to the side
Roma made seven changes from the side that started against Real Madrid. Some of those changes were forced by injuries to Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné, Mile Svilar and Bryan Cristante, plus the one-match Serie A ban for Donyell Malen.
Reaction after the Real Madrid defeat
Gasperini continued: "I know this group and had no doubt about their strength of character, but it remained a complicated match and we needed this moment of magic to break the deadlock. It looked spectacular from the touchline, but on video I can see it was even better."
He also said: "Losing that way was devastating, because the performance had been so good, and thoroughly deserved. We ruined it for ourselves with three corner kicks in about seven minutes, but before that Real Madrid were not hurting us at all, in fact we were creating the chances."
Gasperini added: "That’s what irritated us, so I had no doubt that we would react well this evening. Many of the players tonight had to experience it from the bench, so I knew they’d have that determination and energy in them today to let it all out on the pitch."
Season start and fixtures
Football Italia said this was the 300th Serie A victory in Gasperini’s career. Football Italia also said this was Roma's best start to a Serie A season for 12 years. Roma were due to host Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Tuesday, then visit Napoli in Serie A.