Daniele De Rossi, the coach of Genoa, defended Nicolae Stanciu (32 years old) after the missed penalty against AC Milan.
After the match, De Rossi praised Stanciu and said it was his decision for the Romanian to take the penalty kick.
The coach described Stanciu as having "an incredible foot" and training "better than anyone else."
"The penalty taker? Before the match, I chose two players: Malinovskyi and Martin, but both were substituted. It was my decision because I saw him taking penalty kicks and free kicks during training. Stanciu has an incredible foot!
He is a wonderful guy, and I'm truly sorry he couldn't enjoy that moment. Stanciu hasn't played much, but he trains better than anyone else.
He has extraordinary qualities and has never lost his professionalism. He deserved that joy, just like we all did for the game we played," said Daniele De Rossi, according to the Italian press.
Stanciu missed a penalty kick in extra time of the AC Milan - Genoa 1-1 match, in the last play, obtained by the "Grifoni".