AC Milan finally won the Champions League group stage, beating Newcastle 2-1 away in the last round, but it was too late as Milan finished third in the group due to a 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in another Borussia Dortmund game, and they will play in the Europa League. Pioli said that this game proved Milan's character, strength and dignity, and set a new goal to win the Europa League.
Milan still had a chance to extend the score, and in stoppage time Newcastle pressed all over the line to try to equalize, and even the goalkeeper rushed to the penalty area, but when Milan broke the ball and counterattacked, Te'o faced the empty gate in the center circle, and sloppily kicked out, but the strength was insufficient, and the long-distance goal kick stopped before it reached the goal, and was held by the defender who returned to the defense.
Recall that in the first round of the group stage, the Rossoneri drew 0-0 with Newcastle at the San Siro, when Milan had already had 26 shots on goal, but unfortunately it was to no avail.
'There were a lot of feelings, and being out of the Champions League was certainly disappointing, especially given how we did last season,' said Pioli. We know that this team is completely different and very difficult. It's sad to regret that we deserved more but didn't know how to take advantage of the other games and we did it tonight. The opponent played with incredible intensity, but we weren't intimidated or demoralized. That means we'll do everything we can to win the Europa League. ”
Milan were 1-0 down at half-time and Pioli felt the first half was sluggish and didn't look like a team that had to win this game to advance.
I don't think we played badly in the first half, but Newcastle's intensity was unbelievable and highlighted our mistakes. They have only lost twice at home to Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool this season, and we haven't won in England for many years, and now it's finally here. ”
Milan's only win on English soil was 1-0 at Manchester United's Old Trafford in 2005, with seven draws and 13 defeats.
Today's performance will only give us the confidence to move forward. My biggest regret is that the team is not reaching its full potential in Europe and Serie A at the moment, so that's something I have to work on and try to change. This team has a lot of potential and we created a lot of chances, especially in the Champions League, but there is a lack of determination and quality. With that, we're here to celebrate the progress of the Champions League. Obviously, we can only try to consolidate the third place in Serie A now and then try to do more. Our minimum goal is to qualify for the Champions League again, which is the least we can achieve. ”
Leon returned after a month-long absence with a thigh injury and it was a great opportunity to hit the bottom of the post on the counter-attack.
He's matured a lot, more focused, more responsible, and more involved in the game, but after all he's been here at 19 and it's natural to see him grow now. I don't know how many minutes he's guaranteed to play tonight, I keep asking him how he feels. In the second half, he managed to hurt Newcastle with his speed. ”
Maignan was another stunning performer, making an extraordinary save to Guimaraes' curling ball that slid over the crossbar, but Milan seemed to be more in control after that.
Unfortunately, we've seen us drop in intensity in the second half lately, so I'm already planning to make changes to keep up with the pace and offer more options. This team proved their strength, character and pride to win a very tough match against a strong opponent. ”
"We want to continue in the Champions League, but we celebrate at the final whistle because it's still an important three points, now we are in the Europa League and will try to win it, because it's a trophy that Milan has never won," León admitted, who came back. ”
The Europa League is actually the first major European trophy in AC Milan's history to win the title.
Milan easily scored more goals against Newcastle, with Leon and Fikayo Tomori both hitting the post equally well in the second half.
I was disappointed and it was important to boost my confidence. Unfortunately we couldn't achieve our goal of staying in the Champions League, but we are still in Europe. ”