Gian Piero Gasperini hurt by Genoa's loss to Juventus

Genoa (Italy), March 17 (IANS) Genoa head coach Gian Piero Gasperini was hurt by his side’s last-gasp defeat to Juventus at home here.

Andrea Pirlo curled in a free kick in the last minute to seal the win for Juventus Sunday after Genoa striker Emanuele Calaio had a penalty saved, reports Xinhua.

“Losing a game like this is incredibly painful. We played well for 90 minutes. We thought that we’d be able to win it and make history. So to lose, is hard to swallow. We worked hard with determination, strong fitness levels and also quality. It wasn’t just grit,” Gasperini said.

“We created some good scoring opportunities and then this Pirlo gem at the end threw away the game. Considering the quality of our opponents it was undoubtedly our best performance of the season. It’s a real shame, as we had the game in hand during the second half and had that penalty.”

He congratulated his players on their performance and hoped they could leave behind the painful loss.

“I can only compliment my players. It’ll be tough to raise their spirits but they must remember the performance. I know it won’t remain in the history books but it remains a memorable game for us and I hope also for our fans,” he added.