Following the end of Udinese v Lazio, coach Kosta Runjaic and Daniele Padelli, who was back in the starting line-up and made a crucial save toward the end of the game, held a press conference.
Runjaic: “We suffered a bad, unexpected defeat in Florence and many decisions could’ve been made. I chose to keep the same formation and the only change made was the goalkeeper. I wanted to send a clear message: as I know that [Daniele] Padelli is a good goalkeeper as well as an important part of the team, I wanted to have an experienced keeper who could instill confidence to the rest of the team. Losing 5-1 is never easy and the psychological impact of such a loss could still be seen in part today. Padelli kept us in the game. I’m happy for him. He hadn’t played since March and just like in that match, he did well. He was ready; he always gives it his all at training.
“We’ll think about the future, but for now we’re going to enjoy this draw. I think that since I first arrived at Udinese, this has been the first time we scored at the last second. It was a huge relief. We didn’t deserve to lose and we were able to score this goal partly thanks to our fans’ support. We’re happy with this draw; we wanted to win, but we can be happy with one point earned against a good opponent. We can also be happy with our performance. And now we can turn our attention to Como.
“About the goals we conceded in our previous games, we have to consider many aspects; we made many mistakes. Against Genoa we gave away a penalty that could’ve been avoided, which gave confidence to our opponent. Then we took too many risks and lost the match. The red card in Florence could also have been avoided.
“Today we had to fight back and that’s exactly what we did. We showed that we can stay focused for 90 minutes and apply what we work on during the week. We know what happened against Fiorentina, but it mustn’t happen again. Today we saw that we learned our lesson.
“What I can say about [Keinan] Davis’s goal is that we have to accept the referee’s decision. I was afraid that the goal check would result in a different outcome. The result is well deserved, also considering the fact that we were very unlucky when we conceded that first goal.
“We knew what Lazio’s playing style is like; they’re always careful when defending. Today they made some changes, but they have a well-defined set-up. We played well and played against them the way we were supposed to.
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Padelli: “Our goalkeeping department is very united. In fact, when one of us plays a great game, the others are the first to go and celebrate with him, as was the case with me today.
“In Italy people often blame and criticise the player who happens to have a bad performance, and when you concede five goals, the goalkeeper will inevitably become an easy target. Sometimes, with a more careful examination and a clearer idea of a player’s role, certain criticisms can be avoided.
“I’m happy. We’re working well. I’ve been working hard my entire career and I know that it pays off. I can’t say anything about Davis’s goal because I didn’t see anything. I just enjoyed the moment. We bounced back tonight and we really needed it.”