Pope Francis congratulates the La Spezia football team on their victory against Roma

Pope Francis met with players of the Northern Italy soccer team Spezia on Wednesday after knocking out fourth-seeded AS Roma from the annual Coppa Italia competition.

“First of all, congratulations, because you were good yesterday. Congratulations!" the Pope told them in audience at the Vatican Apostolic Palace on January 20.

La Spezia Calcio, a professional football team based in the city of La Spezia, entered the Italian Serie A top league for the first time in 2020.

Tuesday's 4-2 victory in the Italian Cup against Roma, one of Roma's two big clubs, the 13th seeded him in the quarter-finals next week, where he will play against Napoli.

Pope Francis said, “in Argentina, we dance the tango”, emphasizing that the music is based on “two for four” or two quarters.

Referring to the result against Roma, he added: “Today you are 4 to 2, and that's fine. Congratulations and continue! "

“And thank you for this visit”, he said, “because I like to see the effort of young men and women in sport, because sport is a marvel, sport 'brings out' all the best we have inside. Continue with this, because it brings you to a great nobility. Thanks for your testimony. "

Pope Francis is a well-known football fan. His favorite team is San Lorenzo de Almagro in his native Argentina.

In a 2015 interview, Francesco said that in 1946 he went to many of the San Lorenzo games.

Speaking to Argentine online sports news site TyC Sports, Francis also revealed that he played soccer as a child, but said he was a “patadura” - someone who isn't good at kicking the ball - and preferred to play basketball.

In 2008, as archbishop of Buenos Aires, he offered mass for the players at the team's facilities on the occasion of the centenary of San Lorenzo.

In 2016 Pope Francis spoke at the opening ceremony of a Vatican conference on sport.

He said: “Sport is a human activity of great value, capable of enriching people's lives. As for the Catholic Church, it is working in the world of sport to bring the joy of the Gospel, the inclusive and unconditional love of God for all human beings “.