Champions League: "I did not expect it" – Zaniolo, delighted by Roma, delighted by his record performance in the Champions League



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Italians must defend their lead in the March return match after a late goal in Porto after their young man wrote in the history books

Nicolo Zaniolo, a Roma teenager, was on top of the moon after a record breaking Tuesday, led his team to victory in his Champions League clash last 16.

Zaniolo, 19, is enjoying a phenomenal season in Serie A as he continues to impress the front for the Eusebio Di Francesco team.

And he played a key role in the 2-1 win over Porto in the first leg on Tuesday, scoring two goals in six minutes over goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

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His double meant that Zaniolo became the youngest Italian player to hit twice in a Champions League match, a fact that made him happy after the final whistle.

"It's an amazing night, I'm speechless and I never expected such a thing," he said. Sky Sport Italia when we ask him about his exploit.

Roma will not take anything for granted midway though.

Substitute Adrian Lopez kept the game tight with a late goal for Porto, meaning that a 1-0 win would be enough in the second leg to allow the Portuguese team to score.

And Zaniolo admitted that he and his teammates were annoyed by this slide after being invested in a dominant position.

"However, we have the comeback ahead, we should not have conceded the second goal and we need to think as a unit," he added.

"We have practically nothing allowed Porto, so we have to do the same thing in the second leg to qualify. I've worked a lot tonight, but I'm very happy to do it for this team.

"Celebrating under the curve is an extraordinary feeling, I can not describe it. I hope to score even more goals under this curve. "

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The Roma will travel to Porto for the second leg on 6 March to defend their slim lead.

The Italians hope to repeat their exploits in the 2017-18 Champions League, where they won the semi-finals in a race including a 3-0 win against Barcelona at Stadio Olimpico.

The fairy tale finally ended in the hands of Liverpool, who won 7-0 on a total of 180 thrilling football minutes to win a final clash with the future Real Madrid champion.

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