Stefano Pioli believes the Coppa Italia semi-final with Juventus was ‘very even’ over the two legs, as Milan only went out on away goals. ‘We were naïve.’

The 1-1 first leg result back on February 13 proved decisive, as despite Cristiano Ronaldo missing a penalty and Ante Rebic seeing red 17 minutes in, it ended 0-0 in the empty Juventus Allianz Stadium.

Stefano Pioli believes the Coppa Italia semi-final with Juventus was ‘very even’ over the two legs, as Milan only went out on away goals. ‘We were naïve.’

The 1-1 first leg result back on February 13 proved decisive, as despite Cristiano Ronaldo missing a penalty and Ante Rebic seeing red 17 minutes in, it ended 0-0 in the empty Juventus Allianz Stadium.

They were already missing suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Theo Hernandez and Samu Castillejo, so options were limited.

“It’s disappointing that I have to say it, but over two legs the penalty at San Siro proved decisive,” the coach told Rai Sport.

“We also felt the pressure of Juve’s passing game and possession, we were naïve with the penalty and red card, but then played very well and had two or three chances to score. If those had gone in…

“It’s a pity, as this was our objective, we didn’t manage it, so now we must qualify for Europe via Serie A. It was a very narrow difference over the two legs, they both ended with draws, it’s just that by conceding at home, we were then forced to score in the second leg.

“We held out exceptionally in defence, especially the centre-backs, and that must show us that we can be solid, because we need these skills going forward for the rest of the season.

“It’s disappointing, we really wanted to play the Final. What we need now is to be more consistent, as so far this season, we haven’t taken home the results that we deserved, as our finishing hasn’t been up to scratch and we didn’t convert enough of our chances.”

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