Milan manager Stefano Pioli admits that their 2-2 draw against Lecce was a match they had to win. The Rossoneri raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Olivier Giroud and Tijani Reijnders, only to be pegged back by Nicola Sansone and Lameck Banda. Milan had a late scare when Roberto Piccoli looked to have won the match, but the goal was ruled out for a marginal foul in the buildup. Speaking post-match, Pioli vented his frustration on a match that was there to be won:
“We played with a frenzy in the second half that doesn’t characterise us. We managed the ball too little: we conceded an identical goal on a corner kick as against PSG. Not being able to close the game should have increased our sense of compactness. It was a match we had to win.
“The possibility of not approaching the match well was there but this was not the case. We could have managed a couple of chances better, as happened in the second goal. We committed errors of lucidity. This result penalises our ranking”.
“Calabria and Leao had some injuries that will have to be evaluated. We are losing points that take us away from the top. When you see matches like that slipping away it’s normal to be nervous, as happened in the final. Reijnders must be a particularly effective player for us: today he could have scored even more goals”.
