Hellas Verona head coach Paolo Sammarco was happy with how his side played against AC Milan overall, but admitted they switched off at a key moment.
Milan ended up emerging with three points from the Stadio MarcAntonio Bentegodi but they were made to work very hard for the win. The only bit of quality came just before half-time, with Rafael Leao playing Adrien Rabiot through on goal for a composed finish one-on-one with Montipo.
The Rossoneri rode their luck at times, especially in the second half as Verona began to sense an opportunity. However, they saw out the win to move eight points clear of fifth place, given that Roma, Como and Napoli have all dropped points
Verona may now be almost guaranteed to go down, but their performance gave some positives. Sammarco spoke to DAZN and in a post-match press conference after this afternoon’s defeat to Milan, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
Once again a good performance but nothing to show for it…
“Unfortunately, it’s a constant, especially in the last three games: the team tried until the end but failed to score. We have to try not to concede, and then we have to do something up front.”
However, there is pride…
“We work for our fans, who were once again splendid today. We mustn’t give up an inch because we have to honour the season to the fullest.”
What do you imagine from now on for Verona?
“I imagine, and I hope, that it [Verona] can do great things next year and get what Verona deserves: Serie A.”
What went wrong for the goal?
“We made a clear mistake on the goal, because we were too slow and long from a ball of our own that we cleared on the second pass. It’s a serious mistake that shouldn’t be made against a team with that pace. Vernesan did well, I’m happy for him, he can help us, but it’s right to let him develop properly.”
Is the decision to play Belghali in a position he doesn’t normally play for paying off? Why Lirola instead of Oyegoke?
“We had two very difficult days with the forwards, because Bowie and Mosquera both suffered injuries two days before the match.
“We knew we’d struggle with some long balls, but we knew we could defend quite well. We opted for Lirola because he’s training well, and I’m thinking about other things. He didn’t give an inch in training and played a good match.”
Why did Verona concede with their first shot?
“It’s not practical. When you face a team as good as Milan, it’s clear they’re dangerous. Aside from the goal error, the team defended well.”
He is former milan primavera