AC Milan, who must face Roma in the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, drew 3-3 yesterday at the Mapei stadium against Sassuolo.
In the match against Roma in the first leg, Rafael Leao had to endure loud jeers from the supporters at the San Siro when he was substituted.
The Portuguese, who was certainly the most anticipated player that evening, disappointed greatly and did not deliver the performance everyone expected. Stefano Pioli, perhaps to provoke a positive reaction, fielded him as a starter again yesterday against Sassuolo despite extensive rotation, and the former Lille player responded with a performance as a leader and motivator.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reports this morning that Rafael Leao first scored a beautiful goal after dribbling past two opponents like skittles and then was instrumental in the play that led to Jovic's temporary 3-2.
Throughout the match, Rafa showed many other great plays and, above all, a leader's attitude. The Milan number 10 responded to the cup whistles in this way, but the real test will be on Thursday at the Olimpico, where the Portuguese will have to lead Milan to the Europa League semifinals.
Stefano Pioli kept him on the field for the entire match yesterday: "He couldn't have been tired because he never got into the game against Roma, the numbers show that. So, he wanted and needed to play, and he's certainly not someone who struggles to recover. At the 70th minute, I asked both him and Theo how they were feeling, and both replied that they could continue."
There are high expectations for Leao, and Pioli advises: "He needs to learn to manage this kind of pressure, these expectations. He has talent superior to others, so when he can't showcase it, people talk about him. In our environment, compliments and criticisms are often exaggerated; he must know that it will be like this throughout his career", as relayed via Milan News.