Paulo Fonseca's AC Milan lost 2-1 against Gian Piero Gasperini's Atalanta. The goals scored by the hosts were by ex Rossonero Charles De Ketelaere and Nigerian winger Ademola Lookman. For the visitors, it was Alvaro Morata who found the back of the net.
After the final whistle, the Portuguese head coach spoke to the microphones of Italian news outlet Sky Sport Italia and said these words:
First half was good, the second was different. Too much Atalanta?
"In the second half, we lacked the ability to reach our forwards. We had possession, but unlike the first half, we didn’t manage to connect with Rafa and Morata. In the end, we lost because of two set pieces. I think we played an excellent first half, but in the second, we missed the link with the attack."
How does Milan come out of this? Fonseca replied:
"It’s tough when the game ends and you’ve conceded two goals from set pieces. I also want to say that I’ve kept quiet and never spoken about refereeing: everyone talks about it, and they’re right. The first goal was a foul, clearly. There’s no doubt. The way the referee handled the match, against Milan, there’s no question—and it’s not just today. I know referees have a difficult job. I’m just pointing out what happened. It’s always the same against Milan; there’s no respect for Milan at the moment. I’m not afraid to speak the truth, like today. I’ve always respected the referees’ work, but there are so many mistakes, week after week, always against the same team. The way the referee officiated today shows a lack of respect for Milan."
More on the incident:
"In a situation like this, it changes the game. You start the match trailing because of a goal that isn’t legal. Today, I’m outraged by this situation: every week, there are so many errors. This referee was on VAR duty against Udinese, and we can see what happened in that game. I was worried about this referee for this match, and he started off well..."
