Even the normally quite restrained Stefano Pioli could not hold back his anger with the refereeing performance in AC Milan’s loss against Chelsea last night.
The outcome of the entire game hinged upon a crucial decision that the German referee Siebert made inside the opening 20 minutes as he sent Fikayo Tomori off and gave a penalty after he adjudged the defender to have hauled back Mason Mount, even though every replay suggested it was a shocking call.
Jorginho scored the penalty to make it 1-0, and then while Milan were waiting to bring on another defender Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang capitalised on finding space inside the box to double the advantage for the away side.
Pioli spoke at his post-match conference that took place in the press room at San Siro to reflect on the way that the game went and how the incident conditioned the outcome, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
You have been all week and then that penalty with the sending off after 18 minutes…
“It’s very difficult, the game was already difficult on its own. Our opponents are among the strongest in Europe. The approach was right, we could be dangerous. The incident messed everything up, it was a tough game. I want to thank our fans who allowed our players to suffer and grit their teeth.”
What did you think of the penalty/red card incident?
“I didn’t give myself an explanation. At the end of the game I asked the referee if the VAR worked. I think the referee did not have one of his best evenings.”
Given the red card for Tomori, how do you plan to line up the defence in the next game?
“There are still two weeks, we will have to get Kjaer back. If not, we will move Kalulu to the centre. Now we throw ourselves back into the league, knowing that the group is still in our hands. We know this and we will prepare very well for the match in Zagreb because it will be very important.”
Will the team be able to react?
“Our Champions League campaign is not over tonight. We are sure that we will play it until the end. There will not even be a need to motivate my players, in Zagreb we want to show that we are a team up to this competition.”
Can anything positive be found this evening?
“That the team had an incredible spirit. After the red card the whole game changed and they had to sacrifice a lot. The spirit and the desire to help each other certainly was there. A test at Verona, and then a test when it will be time at Dinamo Zagreb.”
