Captain Davide Calabria has insisted that AC Milan must not feel sorry for themselves after their first leg defeat to Roma, while he assessed why it was a tough night.
Milan were far from their best in front of a packed San Siro crowd as Gianluca Mancini’s early header from a corner gave Roma the lead and seemed to suck the life out of the atmosphere and the occasion.
The away side were happy to have long spells of possession and Stefano Pioli’s men were often restricted to shots from distance as they faced a deeper and deeper block, but Olivier Giroud missed a huge chance to level late on when he hit the bar.
The result means that Milan have it all to do in one week down in the capital, with a tantalising return leg in prospect at the Stadio Olimpico, a game that the Rossoneri must now win.
Calabria spoke to Rai at the end of the game to try and assess what was a difficult evening for his side, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
What didn’t work tonight?
“They are a strong team, they did well in the first half to put us in difficulty. They have phenomenal players, there’s little to say. They were also good at containing our actions. Well done to score with their second chance from a corner kick.
“Unfortunately with our two-three corners in a row ball didn’t go in. In the second half we reacted better, when you create and fail to finish these matches are complicated. A match which unfortunately sees us at a disadvantage but there is still a return leg.”
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“It’s part of the game, it’s the preparation for the match. It’s part of the tactic, they chose this move and were good at containing this part of our team. However, we had opportunities and we didn’t take advantage of them.
“We don’t like feeling sorry for ourselves, now let’s roll up our sleeves, prepare for the league and analyse this match to do better in the return leg.”
There is hope. Pioli usually performs if he is in under pressure. If Milan is in favourite position, they often spoil it like tonight game.