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PARMA, ITALY – APRIL 12: Carlos Cuesta, Head Coach of Parma Calcio reacts during the Serie A match between Parma Calcio 1913 and SSC Napoli at Stadio Ennio Tardini on April 12, 2026 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images)
Parma head coach Carlos Cuesta was left fuming after his side’s 2-3 defeat to Roma, accusing the visitors of disrespect while insisting he was proud of his players’ efforts in a dramatic match that was ultimately decided by a Donyell Malen penalty in the 101st minute.
According to his post-match interview with DAZN, via TuttoMercatoWeb, Cuesta stopped short of spelling out exactly what he felt had crossed a line, but made clear he believed several incidents had unfairly shaped the game’s outcome.
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“At Parma we try to be ourselves and to face people with respect,” he said. “But sometimes you have to understand why things happen. From 2-1 to 2-3, obvious things happened, and it is not just about the penalty area, it is the whole dynamic that leaves me feeling this way. They showed disrespect to us. There were events that conditioned the dynamics of the match too much. Against Napoli I was the first to say it was not a penalty, but today there were many small things I did not like.”
Cuesta proud of Parma’s mentality despite late collapse against Roma
Despite his frustration, Cuesta was equally keen to highlight the positives.
“There is both bitterness about the result and pride at having done many good things,” he said.
“It was not easy to turn a game like today’s around against a strong opponent. And I hold tight to the mentality of these players, who even with their objective already achieved always want to represent Parma in the best possible way.”
On his substitutions, Cuesta explained the thinking behind replacing Strefezza with Pellegrino.
“We wanted to win, the choices were made for that reason,” he said. “Strefezza had no more than 55 minutes in his legs and we wanted to exploit Pellegrino’s physical strength. Those who came on did well, those who did not were ready.”
Parma host Como in their next fixture, and Cuesta confirmed that Britschgi will miss the game through suspension, while several other players are being assessed day by day due to ongoing physical issues.
