The captain of the Giallorossi believes the pressure on his side in Serie A took a toll on them in their UCL clash with Liverpool.

AS Roma nearly fell to one of the most humiliating scorelines in the history of any semi-final in world football. Before the 80th-minute mark, the Italians were at a five-goal disadvantage after Liverpool run riot through Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mane.

Momentary complacency on the part of the host led Eusebio De Francesco’s men to pull two goals back through Edin Dzeko and Diego Perotti to keep their hopes of reaching the final alive ahead of the second-leg in Rome. Speaking to PremiumSport after the encounter, skipper of the side Daniele De Rossi lauded the assailant prowess of his former teammate Mohamed Salah and cited Roma’s desire to finish above Inter Milan and Lazio in the domestic league as a key factor in their loss on Wednesday night.

"Salah? We know him, he's a great player and a great person. He cost a lot tonight, but I'm happy for him. We can hold on to what has been done in the quarterfinals, which tells us that it is possible to recover.

"We have the right to believe in it and the obligation to try, for ourselves and for the people who love Roma. In Barcelona, however, it seemed like an unlucky game, but today we approached it well and then we suffered. This will serve as a lesson for the return. 

"Giving a tactical explanation by not reviewing the game would be wrong. They are strong, they prepared well for the match. We had a good 20-25 minutes or so. We were not great at defending their runs behind the defense, although it is difficult to cover against those who are faster than you,” De Rossi added.

"Today there was a blackout, great result for Liverpool, we will need to play a great game in Rome. It will not be easy, but we know it's not impossible. Physical or mental fatigue? We are paying for having two great teams, Inter and Lazio, bothering us in the standings. There are only four games are left of the season, plus the return of the semi-final."

De Rossi and his teammates will take on Liverpool at the Stadio Olimpico on May 2 with the hope of repeating another miraculous comeback vividly in mind.