Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino praised his players’ character and intensity despite the narrow 1-0 defeat to Roma on Sunday afternoon. Speaking after the match, the Viola boss spoke proudly about his side’s performance, pointing to missed chances and fine margins in a game where his team created more than enough to earn a result.

“I want to thank Claudio Ranieri,” Palladino began. “I don’t know exactly what he said, but it was an honour to face a coach of such class. He’s always been a special person in the world of football. I congratulate Roma too. That’s 19 games unbeaten now, which is extraordinary.”

While acknowledging the quality of the opposition, Palladino couldn’t hide his frustration with the outcome. “We played a great match and carved out so many chances, but football is made of details. Today, they didn’t go our way. [Mile] Svilar was incredible in goal and we were up against a team that defended with everything they had. We must be proud of what we produced.”

The coach was particularly impressed by players who have been less involved in recent weeks. “I’m very satisfied,” he said. “This shows what I always say. I believe in every player in the squad. Since 7 July, they’ve all given me so much. They’re serious professionals. Cher Ndour, Zaniolo – they all put in strong performances. I saw how motivated Zaniolo was in training and I threw him in because he deserved it.

“Sometimes in Italy we don’t know how to protect our talents. Zaniolo was a top player before his injuries and now he’s slowly finding continuity again. He’s a good lad and a hard worker. He deserves more protection and support, not just from Fiorentina or Roma fans, but from all Italian supporters. We must learn to nurture players like him.”

Asked about his frustration with the timing of Roma’s goal, which came at the very end of the first half, Palladino clarified: “I wasn’t protesting. My watch said there were five or six seconds extra. I just expected the referee to blow once the ball was cleared, but instead he allowed one more delivery and we were punished. There’s no controversy there. Football can go that way sometimes.”

Looking ahead, Palladino was adamant that Fiorentina must turn the page quickly as attention shifts to a crucial European tie on Thursday against Real Betis.

“We can’t dwell on this result. The fight for Europe is still open. Thursday is a final for us. That’s what I told the lads: put this behind us and move on with positive energy. The whole squad believes. The atmosphere at the Franchi will be electric and we’ll need our fans behind us.”

Asked what kind of Betis side he expects, Palladino replied: “They’ll want to go through, just like us. We’ll prepare accordingly. They’ve got quality up front, but we’re playing at home and we believe in ourselves.”

There was encouragement too in terms of the performance of Moise Kean, who returned to lead the line with energy and physicality. “Moise did really well,” Palladino said. “He’s fully recovered now, both physically and mentally. He fought hard, created chances and held the ball up as we needed. He was also on the receiving end of a lot of contact. He’s key for us.”

As the season nears its climax, Palladino made clear his ambition: “We’re 20 days from the end and still in the mix. We want to go as far as we can in every competition. If we don’t succeed, we’ll accept that, but we’ll give everything until the end.”