Spalletti left embittered by ‘errors’ and ‘injustices’ in Milan tie: “There was a clear penalty”

Luciano Spalletti has suggested that AC Milan’s history in the Champions League led to them getting some favourable decisions in last night’s game.

Milan carried a one-goal lead from the first leg after Ismael Bennacer’s winner at San Siro and they made the ideal start to the second leg, going a goal up after Rafael Leao turned provider for Olivier Giroud, who recovered from an earlier penalty save.

The second half was full of drama as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia also saw a spot kick saved by Mike Maignan after a handball from Fikayo Tomori, and though Victor Osimhen scored in added time to level the game on the night it was too little too late as the Rossoneri went through.

Spalletti spoke to Mediaset after his side were knocked out and picked apart the key incidents in the game.

“First of all, we congratulate Milan on their qualification. They played two games in which they made the most of their chances, which is the sign of a mature team that knows when to press the accelerator and when to defend in numbers,” Spalletti said.

“I also want to compliment my players, as our Champions League campaign was played at a very high level. We paid for a few naïve moments, we paid for a lack of experience in dealing with moments of the match.

“Some of our players who came back from international duty were struggling, especially Osimhen who was out for 20 days after that injury. Then a few errors and a few injustices.”

Spalletti was asked if the 4-0 defeat at the Maradona to Milan earlier in the month changed the complexion of the tie somewhat.

“No, because we took the initiative both in Milan and here. We were in fantastic shape before the break for international duty, then when we returned there were so many players out of action for that game with Milan.

“Perhaps the result in Turin made us believe the league was a formality, so we weren’t as focused in that 4-0 result. However, the two Champions League games were totally different.

“It’s true they missed a penalty, but it was also an avoidable incident. We conceded an avoidable goal, as we were balanced and controlling the ball when allowing them to overturn the whole situation. They scored their only real move into our box and we were unable to do the same.”

World Cup Final referee Szymon Marciniak took charge of the game and he had a couple of big calls to mate, including a penalty given for a foul on Rafael Leao and one not given for a tackle by the Portuguese on Lozano.

“Everyone agreed, except those wearing the Milan jersey, that the referee made mistakes in the first leg. There was a penalty today, clear as day, on Lozano where you see from the replays that the ankle moves and he never gets the ball.

“It’s the clearest penalty, you cannot fail to see that. It is not contact, that is a foul, otherwise his ankle would turn like that. It risks a sprain of the ankle. You cannot fail to see that. But then people say we complain… The penalty we gave away was naïve, this was also a clear penalty.”

Finally, Spalletti spoke about how the wingers – Kvaratskhelia, Lozano and Matteo Politano – were quite predictable as they always looked to cut inside.

“We had 16 corners, so we put the crosses in, we just didn’t get on the end of them properly. This thing of cutting inside to the stronger foot does give us opportunities at the back post, we scored many goals like that this season, as the full-back has to cut in.

“Kvaratskhelia found himself 20 times in one against one situations and Calabria did really well. He created chances, firing over the bar and forcing the situation, but that’s how it went.”