D’Aversa: ‘Bologna superior to Empoli, all credit to them’ | OneFootball

Roberto D’Aversa admits ‘Bologna were superior, all credit to them’ after Empoli lost the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final 3-0 on home turf.

The Tuscans had reason to celebrate their first ever Coppa Italia semi-final and still have the second leg to come on April 24.

However, their hopes of qualification are reduced to the bare minimum after a 3-0 home defeat, sealed by Riccardo Orsolini and the Thijs Dallinga brace.

“There were clearly some errors on the goals, which you cannot afford against Bologna who along with Roma are the form team in Italy at the moment,” D’Aversa told Sport Mediaset.

“The regrets are also that we had the chances to score and did not take them. Bologna were superior on the pitch, all credit to them.”

D’Aversa focus has to be keeping Empoli in Serie A

EMPOLI, ITALY – APRIL 1: Fans of Empoli FC during the Coppa Italia Semi Final match between Empoli FC and FC Bologna at Stadio Carlo Castellani on April 1, 2025 in Empoli, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

Empoli had caused huge upsets by beating Torino, then eliminating Fiorentina and Juventus on penalties away from home.

However, their Serie A form has been wildly different, scraping only four draws in the last 15 rounds, and it was that kind of performance seen this evening.

For this club, merely staying in the top flight is like a Scudetto, and they have five head-to-head clashes in the remaining eight Serie A games.

“Our objective is safety, the performance against Como when we got a draw and could’ve had more does bode well for the future. We must try to make more of the chances that we create, because Solbakken and Gyasi had great opportunities tonight too and we need to do better in those situations,” added D’Aversa.

Ardian Ismajli was one of the players out injured this evening, as Empoli have been decimated by fitness issues for months.

“He had a problem against Juventus on February 2 and I can only wait to see what the medic says. He had some problems, including on international duty, so the return to fitness is proving difficult and I cannot explain why.

“We miss him, he’s an important player, but we’ve had to deal with many injuries all season long,” concluded D’Aversa.