Bologna won 2-0 through goals from Lorenzo De Silvestri and Giovanni Fabbian, with Aleiu Fadera sent off for Como.
“It was tough to find the physical and mental strength to push hard, because that’s what we needed against Como, to limit their possession, and the lads did it with furore and focus,” Italiano told Sky Italia.
“We got home at 5am on Thursday, had no time to train, we only prepared for this match with one video session. We were afraid we’d have to chase them all over the pitch, but we did well to make the most of the extra man and scored the second goal at the right time too.
“We’ve put many results at risk in the final minutes and almost did it tonight with that free kick, but we know that is where we need to improve.”
He also stated: “It makes me immensely happy to see these fans, they cheer every time we win back the ball and that is fuel for the players. We’ve created this wonderful bond with the supporters and they really are our 12th Man, so we’ve got to keep it going.
“I knew that this was a squad with a good work ethic and still wanted to keep improving. You can be good for a year or two, but confirming that status is tough. It was a shaky start with a few too many draws and had not fully assimilated some of the new ideas, but now we are more consistent both physically and tactically, so the results are arriving.
“I am also very happy to see Lollo De Silvestri walking around with the Man of the Match trophy, that’s incredible!”