ROME – Comments from Christian FILIPPELLA (USA) after losing 2-0 to Morgan CROCE (ITA) in the semifinals of the Traditional Cup at the FISTF World Cup in Rome on Friday.
On the match:
“I wasn’t very lucky, I have to say. In the first half, I had a lot of shots, he defended very well so he didn’t let me play faster like I usually do.
“And it’s hard when you go down on the counter-attack. I think that’s the only shot he had in the first half (when CROCE scored). I hit three bars, the last second of the first half, it was like, ‘I can’t believe that ball didn’t go in.'”
“In the second half he controlled the game with a lot of corner kicks and then eventually I had to let him shoot or I wasn’t going to get the ball back, and then at 2-0 it becomes very difficult.”
On his tournament overall:
“I’m happy but I wish the (semifinal) game turned around a little bit more for me in the first half. Had I scored, it would have been a completely different game in the second half.”
FISTF News nl/spd