Thursday night’s defeat to AS Roma will have several implications for AC Milan on several fronts, and following the fixture, former Rossonero Stephan El Shaarawy spoke about Roma’s game plan for the fixture.
The Rossoneri came into the game with a one-goal deficit, and with a strong line-up, there was a mixture of hope and expectation about the fixture. However, the game did not proceed in the way that Milan would have expected or hoped, going two goals behind in the first half.
After a red card and an early second-half goal, perhaps the hope returned slightly, but the Diavolo failed to recover their position in the game, and the Giallorossi are now in the final four of the competition.
A loss is never easy, but the circumstances attached to the game make the likely outcome of the result understandable to understand – especially when considering the context provided by the rest of the season. It seems Stefano Pioli will now probably go on the final few dates of his management, and whilst hope might be somewhere for the future, the loss – and the season – is bitter, and it could still worsen on Monday.
After his side’s victory, El Shaarawy – who caused his former club a lot of issues on the night – spoke to Roma’s official media platforms, and his words have been relayed by PianetaMilan.
On Roma v Milan…
“To beat a team as strong as the Rossoneri, we needed to play two almost perfect games. We did that. We went to Milan knowing we could play the game and we did. Today we didn’t have to play a waiting game and we did. An approach with a great desire to score, which came twice, we are happy with the impact. We managed to defend well, with heart, to bring home the result. A great victory.”
On the key to qualification…
“I did what Daniele asked of me, with great self-denial, sacrifice and quality. Those are my characteristics, with no problems. I’m happy with the way the team tackled the match, even though we finished with 10 men. The victory belongs to everyone, to the fans who created a magical atmosphere tonight. Also for Zeki who made a mistake, there was no problem. We fought for him.”
