Ellertsson, facing his former club, settled the game in the 25th minute with a powerful left-footed shot into the top corner. Goalkeeper Justin Bijlow preserved Genoa’s lead with key saves, including a late stop from Akor Adams.
“Great suffering in the second half, and great suffering in the final 25 minutes against Fiorentina too, but to survive you have to play like this,” De Rossi said. “The players managed it. We conceded a couple of chances, and those were the most serious moments, because taking a goal after suffering like that would have been a stab in the heart.”
“In the first minutes of the second half, we lost some very simple balls, because fear had crept in. That period was not easy, but there were players on the pitch who should not have been out there.”
De Rossi defended Lorenzo Colombo, criticised by sections of the crowd, and praised the team’s spirit.
“I’m sorry when he gets jeered by the public, because these players always deserve applause. Teams fighting to stay up need this characteristic. We cannot expect to win matches comfortably, even though we had chances to make it 2-0 in the first half.
“Putting the game to sleep is not an intelligent way to manage it. We have to play forward and put balls into the area.”
Venezia FC coach Davide Nicola felt his side had done enough to take something from the match, but accepted that possession had not produced a goal.
“The mood at the end was one of anger,” he said. “We can analyse matches, and we have played two different games. In the first, we won by playing in the right way against a big team, although perhaps we did not deserve all three points. Today, you might have frowned at a draw, but we lost.
“We did not take many risks, and there was a great goal from Ellertsson. We have to congratulate him. But we had the first chance.”
“We are working on finding balance without giving away easy counter-attacks. In the second half, our passing was more fluid. We are a team naturally inclined to play, but we have to combine that with defensive balance.
“I like fast football. We had chances, but we must be better in possession. In the first half we were attentive, but that made us too static.
“I told the players to take the knocks and keep working as we are. We are convinced we have the means to save ourselves.”