CAGLIARI, (Italy): AC Milan coach Paulo Fonseca expressed frustration after his team's draw at Cagliari on Saturday, lamenting defensive mistakes and the inability to control key moments in the match.
Milan slipped to a 3-3 draw in Serie A after Cagliari's Gabriele Zappa volleyed the ball in to equalise late on following a series of defensive slip-ups throughout the match.
"I think the problem wasn't with the ball or offensively, but defensively. We had great difficulty with Cagliari's crosses," Fonseca told DAZN.
"We lacked aggression. You can't win a match like that, especially when you lose aerial duels. I think the mistake was there. It's difficult to win this way.
"We did good things in attack, scoring three goals, but we could not draw this match. It's a step back, and we can't concede three goals if we want to win."
Fonseca praised striker Rafael Leao, who had recently been used mostly as a substitute, after the forward scored a brace in the first half.
"He's in a good moment. He is improving defensively. He has always been with the team. This is the Leao we want," Fonseca said.
Cagliari coach Davide Nicola was positive about his team's performance.
"There was courage, but today I appreciated the ability to interpret the match with a consistent performance," he said.
"My team played football today, even though we must acknowledge Milan's quality and work on improving certain things. We're growing. We had the right attitude and tried to create chances.
"If we look at the numbers, it's almost a shame to have drawn, but we must humbly remember we were up against a great team. We are satisfied, and we built play." — REUTERS