Carrizo grateful for Lazio chance

Lazio goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo says the Coppa Italia victory over Siena on Wednesday gave him a chance to prove himself.

Carrizo, making his first appearance of the season, was called into action during a penalty shootout after the match finished 1-1.

He saved two spot-kicks to help his side win 4-1 on penalties and progress to the quarter-finals.

“I was looking forward to living this moment, I was sure that sooner or later a moment like this would have come for me,” he said.

“I gave all that I had in training sessions and waited to have the chance to prove my value. The coach believed in me and made me play today and everything went well.

“We had studied the penalty kickers before the match, but at that moment I asked the coach if I had to follow what we had studied or my instinct. My feelings were good tonight, I made the right choices and I’m happy because Lazio qualified also thanks to my help.”

Midfielder Lorik Cana, whose own-goal put Lazio a goal down on 56 minutes, admitted the home team were somewhat fortunate to progress.

“Yes we had a bit of luck tonight, but the important thing was the attitude we had onto the pitch,” he said.

“We believed we could make it until the end of the game, because Coppa Italia is very important for us, we can reach a final only with a few victories and winning the trophy will be very important for us.

“Not many players in our team have already won a competition and we would like to experience that and remain in the competition.

“We didn’t see a great Lazio tonight, but we tried to give all that we have, we gave our maximum with the resources we had, with a new system of play and with players who haven’t played together often.

“We proved we’re ready from the mental point of view, we believed in it and this victory comes as a great satisfaction for us all.”