D’Aversa: Juventus Victory Does Not Accurately Reflect Empoli’s Performance

Empoli head coach Roberto D’Aversa has expressed his belief that the 4-1 defeat to Juventus in Turin does not accurately represent his team’s performance on the field. D’Aversa highlighted several crucial moments that he feels significantly impacted the final result.

Despite taking an early lead through former Juventus defender De Sciglio, Empoli’s fortunes quickly changed. A potential penalty for Empoli was overturned by VAR when they were leading 1-0, and midfielder Youssef Maleh was later sent off, reducing the team to ten men.

D’Aversa commented, “Certain incidents can be game-changing. I have some reservations about how things unfolded, though I don’t want to make excuses for my players. The match was evenly balanced until we were reduced to ten men. Small margins, like a deflection on Weah’s shot leading to a goal while our attempt missed, ultimately determine the outcome.”

The Empoli manager praised his team’s performance, particularly highlighting their efforts up until Colombo’s chance when they were already a man down. He concluded, “After conceding the third goal, the game took a direction that didn’t truly reflect what we witnessed on the pitch for most of the match.”