Palacio is excellent in goal, enthuses Stramaccioni

19-Dec-2012 4:15:00 AM

The 36-year-old joked that the Argentine forward could be a worthy alternative goalkeeper in the future, as his side enjoyed cup success

Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni heaped praise upon the inexperienced goalkeeping of Rodrigo Palacio, after his side's 2-0 Coppa Italia win over Verona.

Second-half goals from Fredy Guarin and Antonio Cassano were enough to wrap up the win at the San Siro, however clashes between Verona ultras and police marred the game.

And Inter ended the game with Palacio in goal when goalkeeper Luca Castellazzi was injured.

Around 400 ultras clashed with police before kick-off, and violence continued throughout the first half - resulting in a suspension of play after 15 minutes due to the spread of tear gas.

"Verona started very well and we had a few chances with Ricky Alvarez and Palacio," Stramaccioni told reporters.

"We raised the tempo after the break and scored two goals, but if this Inter [team] doesn't end with a tense finale, then we're not happy.

"Palacio is excellent in goal - he'll be an alternative we should keep in mind," the Inter boss added.

Verona boss Andrea Mandorlini was less upbeat after the game, blaming errors for his side's defeat.

"We went behind with an error in midfield, but I think the real key was represented by our mistakes in front of goal.

"We could've opened the game up again in the final 20 minutes, especially after they went down to 10 men.

"The dream is over, but we believed to the very end. Our objective for the season was never this, anyway," he said.