Roma coach De Rossi: We needed excellence to beat AC Milan

Roma coach Daniele de Rossi was delighted with his players after their Europa League win against AC Milan.

A 2-1 victory sees Roma into the semis 3-1 on aggregate.

"To beat this Milan, we needed excellence. We needed great heart, as once we were down to 10 men, we had to play with intensity, but with intelligence and tactical knowledge. Just running around is not sufficient," De Rossi told Sky Italia.

“I am really proud to be the coach of a team like this. It was not easy, as Milan are a very strong team who play good football. We saw yesterday even Real Madrid sat back and defended, we did too when it was the right moment to do so.

“I do think it was balanced, honestly. We were never under that much pressure other than the last 15 minutes of the first leg and here once we went down to 10. We felt that perhaps we had something extra, but you cannot say Milan played badly over the two legs when they pinned us back.

“Seeing as Milan had almost always beaten us in recent years, few expected us to win, so the fact we made it balanced was already an achievement."

Both Roma and Atalanta are now in the semis.

De Rossi added: “It is not a fluke, because Italian football is of a high level. Perhaps we still remember the recent past when Italian football was the best of the best, but the other leagues have stepped up. We also had a spell where we struggled, but for the last five or six years we've had Italian teams going far in the competitions.

“The teams in the Europa League semi-final could easily be in the Champions League, so we must show more faith in Italian football. The grass is not always greener on the other side. With ideas, good football and atmospheres like the ones we see at the Stadio Olimpico and San Siro, players still want to come here and play in Italy."

Roma coach De Rossi: We needed excellence to beat AC Milan

Roma coach De Rossi: We needed excellence to beat AC Milan

Roma coach De Rossi: We needed excellence to beat AC Milan

Roma coach De Rossi: We needed excellence to beat AC Milan

Roma coach De Rossi: We needed excellence to beat AC Milan