Edin Dzeko asked Henrikh Mkhitaryan to step up in his absence on Sunday – and the Armenian certainly delivered.
With Dzeko sidelined after a positive Covid-19 test, Mkhitaryan scored a hat-trick against Genoa to deliver a 3-1 win for the Giallorossi – moving the side up to third in the Serie A standings.
After walking away with the match ball, Mkhitaryan was eager to give credit elsewhere for his star turn.
“I have to thank my teammates for such a great performance,” he said in an interview published on Roma’s official website.
“We ran into a bit of difficulty in the second half, but in the end we showed our personality and we got the win.
“I spoke to Edin before the game – he told me I had to score today. And so that’s what I did.”
He added: “We need him to come back as soon as possible – we are a group, and every player is important.”
The result, which means Roma are still unbeaten on the pitch so far this season, puts the team among the frontrunners in Serie A heading into another international break.
“We have the quality, we have the potential to get to where we want to be,” Mkhitaryan added.
“We are working really hard and we will do everything we can to reach our objectives.”
“For my Nation! For my Roma,” Mkhitaryan tweeted after the game.
