Stefano Pioli praised his AC Milan side for the ‘incredible effort’ that they put in to try and get a result out of the Atletico Madrid game.
In the end the referee Cakir was the man who ruined the spectacle, first giving a second yellow card to Franck Kessie which seemed harsh when the Rossoneri were 1-0 up, and then awarding a 93rd-minute penalty to the away side to hand them the three points when replays showed it should have been overturned by VAR.
Pioli spoke to Milan TV after Milan-Atletico Madrid to give his thoughts on the game, with MilanNews relaying his comments.
On the game: “It’s very easy to comment on the match: in 11 vs 11 we played much better than our opponents, creating a lot and suffering nothing; we played as a team with quality, intensity and clear ideas,” he said.
“We made an incredible effort; we could have done better on the first goal: we had the right positions and we weren’t so attentive. The stadium supported us, the effort of the players was important: it was a pity that we went out again once without points. Milan played like a great team and this must give us confidence; there is regret: with more attention we could have managed to bring home the result.”
On Brahim Diaz: “He is sore in his knee: every now and then he has a hamstring that gets inflamed, but we have to grit our teeth and hold on because we have to do well on Sunday.”
On the Champions League: “We want to play in the Champions League to win, not to participate. It weighs on us not to have got any points, but this will certainly make us grow in the first part of the season.”
On things to improve: “We struggled to manage the ball, playing against a team that we made become, in the first half hour, a normal squad. When I see the goal again, the players will be the first to regret.”
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