“We're sorry” – Ernesto Valverde criticizes Athletic Club supporters involved in flare incident

Athletic Club's return to the Europa League on Thursday was quite a happy one. They had trailed for most of the game against Roma after Artem Dovbyk's first goal, but Aitor Paredes' late equalizer secured a share of the spoils.

Ernesto Valverde spoke after the match to the media, and gave his assessment of the 90 minutes at the Stadio Olimpico, as per AS Diary.

“It was a hard fought game. We started very well in the first 20 minutes, then we suffered because of their quality in front and from there they scored the goal. In the second half we came out with more determination. We pushed a lot and the prize of the draw came. It's a good result for us considering we were losing.”

Valverde also condemned an incident involving both groups of supporters – it was reported that a fan in the Athletic Club The end of the earth has set off a flare in a section of Roma's fan base.

“We regret the incidents at the end from a part of our fans that do not represent the majority of them. We understand football as a party and we do not like when a flare is lit in the opposite direction. We sorry because it's a stain on the match.”