“I Have To Be Honest, That's Not A Penalty”

It was an almost even game at the Unipol Domus stadium between Cagliari and AC Milan in their Seria A match for this week but in the end, it was the visitors who took the win and all available three points, thanks to a lone goal from their star forward, Rafael Leao to climb to the top table temporarily.

More Details

It was the first game of the year and the Rossoneri had a reshuffled squad, with Christian Pulisic, Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic only fit for the bench, so Davide Bartesaghi dropped into the three-man defence while the home side also had issues of their own too.

LATEST POSTS

The first half was shaky and full of errors with neither side creating any real clear cut chances, but the Rossoneri stepped up in the second half to find the breakthrough in the 50th minute through Leao on Adrien Rabiot’s assist for the only goal of the game, though it wasn’t from lack of trying.

Christian Pulisic and Luka Modric also forced saves, while Milan’s Mike Maignan was largely undisturbed by the Cagliari forwards and in his post match interview, Massimiliano Allegri tried to point out what his players should have done better while his opposite on the other bench doused any flame of controversy.

“When Leao plays on the left, he can occasionally fall asleep and drop out of the game. He has the characteristics to do well in the centre, but he wasn’t 100 per cent fit today and didn’t attack the space in the right way during the first half.” Allegri told Sky Sport Italia after the game.

“Nonetheless, he’s scored six Serie A goals this season, despite missing quite a few games through injury.” For the 12th time this season, Milan scored with their first shot on target, confirming their clinical nature but the former Juventus manager was far from satisfied.

“In the first half we allowed three shots on target in the first couple of minutes, so I was worried, but as time wore on we got into the game. We were also slipping and sliding a lot out there, the passes were misplaced, but in the second half Cagliari lost intensity and we stepped up a gear.”

“We had more chances to score a second where we absolutely should’ve done better.” he further added. The Diavoli have largely struggled against the so-called smaller teams this season, but with back-to-back wins over Hellas Verona and Cagliari, they seem to have turned a corner.

Furthermore, the absence of their first-choice defenders had previously caused a panic, but Allegri’s work with the younger players is paying off. “Playing for Milan is not easy, so De Winter, Bartesaghi, Estupinan, Tomori and others are getting better in terms of fitness and individual performance.”

“They are starting to learn to defend in a different way, without moving so much, they read the situations better and are not so frenetic. De Winter cleared a couple of dangerous balls with his head very well this evening.” He continued in his assessment of the match.

Niclas Fullkrug made his debut just hours after completing the loan move from West Ham United, playing the final 20 minutes and sending Pulisic through to force a save from Elia Caprile and this result puts Milan temporarily on top of the Serie A table, leapfrogging rivals Inter, and they have nine clean sheets in 17 rounds.

“It’s too early to say anything, there are five teams in three or four points. A win today was very important, so was a clean sheet, as we were coming off a run of games where we conceded repeatedly. We must continue working, we know it is very difficult to go all the way, but the team spirit is good and even when there are errors, we play as a unit.”

Unlike Inter and Napoli, the Rossoneri do not have the Champions League or Coppa Italia commitments in January. “We have a lot of games too, so I don’t think it will make that big a difference. When they tell us to play, we play, it’s not a big issue, we just try to do our best.” he replied.

“Now we’ve got another coming up on Thursday against Genoa, who are a tough opponent, and we’ll keep working with great enthusiasm,” he concluded and as for Cagliari coach, Fabio Pisacane, he kept an admirably consistent position on penalty appeals in the defeat.

Despite being the underdog for this game, they held their own against a superior opponent but with little chances and their best opportunity was a Semih Kilicsoy bicycle kick charged down by Samuele Ricci’s arm, but as it was flush to the body, VAR did not suggest an On-Field Review for handball.

“I already said last week that I don’t like commenting on the referee’s performance,” Pisacane told Sky Sport Italia before viewing the footage. “I have to be honest, that’s not a spot-kick for me. If it had hit the left arm, you might think he was extending the silhouette, but not the right.”

“We must also learn to help referees, because at the slightest error, people try to make it into a weekly disaster. I prefer to think the officials are doing their work in good faith and we must try to help them, not stir up controversy.” he continued in his own assessment.

“We had a great first half, but it is difficult to keep that intensity and tempo for 90 minutes. The disappointment is that we didn’t make the most of that to score in the first half. If you don’t break the deadlock against opponents like this, you will pay in the long run.” He confessed.

“Once they took the lead, Milan could hurt us on the transition with spaces opening up.” The players from both teams seemed to slip and slide on the pitch, especially in the second half, so did they have the wrong studs on? “I checked the studs of all my players and they were suited to this pitch.”

“The trouble is that as the evening wore on, the humidity level increased, and those who played in this stadium know that sometimes even the metal studs are insufficient. It’s disappointing, because there was a slip on the goal too.” He further added.

Read Also: Super Eagles Complete Perfect Group Stage With Win Over Cranes At AFCON 2025

There were concerns when Sebastiano Esposito limped off with cramp, as Pisacane confirmed the striker “felt burning, so we need tests to make sure it’s nothing more serious.” He concluded as the two teams will now prepare for their next game a midweek Serie A game in a few days time.

Do you have story tips?

Kindly Email: keepup@bettitude.com

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube