AS Roma had made an excellent start to the Champions League encounter, taking a 2-0 lead through Matías Soulé and Donyell Malen. However, Manchester United responded after the break, with Bruno Fernandes reducing the deficit from the penalty spot before Matheus Cunha scored twice to complete the turnaround.
Cristante felt Roma had been in control during the opening period but acknowledged that United’s response exposed weaknesses in his side’s performance.
“We came into the game well and had a tremendous first half, but there are opponents as well. They are strong and, when they push forward, they can hurt us. We needed to do something more,” he told Sky Sport.
“The penalty seemed very generous to me, and when they get themselves going, they are strong. We need to watch the game back carefully and understand where we went wrong.”
Roma had also surrendered a two-goal advantage in their previous meeting with Real Madrid, making the latest setback another occasion for the team to question how it manages a commanding position.
Cristante accepted that concentration had to improve, particularly when protecting a lead. He suggested Roma could have dropped deeper to manage the game, but stressed that doing so should not mean allowing opponents opportunities to score.
“Perhaps we need to be more concentrated defensively. Even today, at 2-0, sometimes you can drop a little deeper, but without conceding goals,” he said.
The midfielder also pointed to the difficulty Roma experienced in keeping possession once Manchester United increased the pressure.
“Maybe we dropped a little deeper ourselves; it was a combination of factors. We were not able to get some breathing space with the ball in their half, and that certainly took its toll over time,” he explained.
Despite the disappointment, Cristante believes Roma can take encouragement from their first-half display, provided they learn from the mistakes that followed.
“We have to take the positives. It was a tremendous first half against a strong team. We need to learn, work and improve, and understand where we went wrong so that we do not make the same mistakes again.”