Spezia ace Riccardo Saponara hailed their character after stunning Roma in the Coppa Italia.

It was the creative midfielder's first start for the club and he marked it with two goals, including an outrageous chip in extra time.

“It's an achievement, because we came here to play with our identity. We showed courage from the start, scored two early goals, proving that Spezia play football against anyone," Saponara, after the 4-2 triumph, told RAI Sport.

“We suffered a little in the second half, as Roma are a strong team, but we continued to play our football. They have the quality to find passing channels and create chances out of nothing.

“We were prepared to take it all the way to penalties, but the incidents went our way and we managed to get it locked down before then."