Milan manager Stefano Pioli was left ruing the penalty awarded to Juventus in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi final in February, as his side crashed out of the competition on Friday evening.
The two sides played out a stalemate at the Allianz Stadium, which was enough to see Juventus progress to the final on away goals following a 1-1 draw during February’s first leg.
With Milan leading 1-0 at the San Siro, Juventus were awarded a controversial penalty when Cristiano Ronaldo’s overhead kick was deemed to have struck the hand of Davide Calabria.
Ronaldo converted the spot kick to rescue a draw and chalk up an away goal, proving pivotal over the two legs.
“It’s disappointing that I have to say it, but over two legs the penalty at San Siro proved decisive,” Pioli told Rai Sport [via Football Italia]. “We also felt the pressure of Juve’s passing game and possession, we were naïve with the penalty and red card, but then played very well and had two or three chances to score. If those had gone in…
“It was a very narrow difference over the two legs, they both ended with draws, it’s just that by conceding at home, we were then forced to score in the second leg.
Juventus and Milan players sent a strong message ahead of their Coppa Italia semi-final. pic.twitter.com/S2eamrMntP
— 90min (@90min_Football) June 12, 2020
“We held out exceptionally in defence, especially the centre-backs, and that must show us that we can be solid, because we need these skills going forward for the rest of the season.”
Victory in the Coppa Italia would have seen Milan secure European football for next season. Pioli’s side are currently three points off sixth spot – the final European spot – in Serie A, and the Milan boss is now targeting European qualification through the league despite their Coppa Italia disappointment.
“It’s a pity, as this was our objective, we didn’t manage it, so now we must qualify for Europe via Serie A,” Pioli added. “It’s disappointing, we really wanted to play the final. What we need now is to be more consistent, as so far this season, we haven’t taken home the results that we deserved, as our finishing hasn’t been up to scratch and we didn’t convert enough of our chances.”
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