Parma knocked out by Roma, Carlos Cuesta won’t stand for it and demands respect
Parma won’t stand for it. Carlos Cuesta goes straight to the point in the aftermath of the match at the Tardini after the rocambolic victory obtained by Roma with a disputed penalty whistled when time was largely expired. Very harsh analysis of the Emiliani coach, who spoke without mincing words about lack of respect towards his team.
“In Parma we always try to be ourselves. We want to face people with the utmost respect,” Cuesta told ‘DAZN’. “However, there are moments when you have to understand what is going on. Between 2-1 and 2-3 obvious things happened regardless of the area. The whole dynamic puzzles me, though. They disrespected us, then we try to focus on the aspects we have a way to affect. Against Napoli I was the first to say that the penalty was not there, but today so many little things did not please me. Situations occurred that affected the dynamics of the match too much.”
A reconstructing the dynamics of events is the chronicle of a match that seemed to be in the bag for the Gialloblù. Parma had taken the lead in the 87th minute through Mandela Keita, who was good at finishing a quick restart on his 24th birthday. Roma had, however, found the equalizer in the 94′ thanks to Rensch, only to get the penalty for the final 3-2 beyond the 10th minute of recovery: the Dutchman had entered the box and had been hit by Britschgi, with referee Chiffi awarding the penalty after a VAR review and inflicting the second yellow on the Swiss side, who was sent off. On the penalty spot Malen had converted without hesitation, giving Roma three very heavy points in the race for the Champions League.
For Parma, it was a defeat that burned doubly, considering that Cuesta’s team had played a far from negative match. The Ducali had been able to come back from an early disadvantage – Roma had taken the lead on 21′ through Malen – and build several chances during the second half. Keita’s goal seemed to have closed the accounts once and for all, before the resounding reversal in the very long recovery.
It must be said that the result does not affect Parma’s ranking from the point of view of salvation: the ducali, already mathematically safe for weeks, close this 36th day with the serenity of those who have already achieved their seasonal goal. A tranquility conquered to the tune of comebacks and strokes of character, as demonstrated by the victory in extremis against Hellas Verona in February, decided by a header by Pellegrino in the 93rd minute. For Roma, on the other hand, the success is worth hooking up with AC Milan in fourth place, keeping alive their hopes of qualifying for the next Champions League.
Despite the disappointment at the end of the match, Cuesta can still look back with pride at the path his team has taken over the course of the season. The Spanish coach has been able to build a solid and compact group, capable of reacting in difficult moments and expressing recognizable soccer. A philosophy that the coach himself had summarized clearly after the victory in Lecce in January: “The boys represent the Parma jersey with pride and dedication and they show it on the field.” Words that remain valid even after a bitter evening like the one at the Tardini, where Parma had the merit of fighting until the last but had to surrender to an epilogue that, according to its coach, goes far beyond the simple sports result.
