AC Milan’s hopes of earning a second trophy this season were ended by Bologna in the Coppa Italia final as they suffered a 1-0 defeat.
Sergio Conceicao believes AC Milan’s Coppa Italia final defeat to Bologna was reflective of their struggles this season, and emphasised their need to look forward.
Milan lost 1-0 in Rome in the showpiece on Wednesday, thanks to a second-half goal from Dan Ndoye, who netted on the rebound.
The Rossoneri have now won just one of their last seven Coppa Italia finals, with that victory coming back in 2002-03. This was their third attempt to clinch the trophy since.
The defeat may have sealed a bittersweet – mostly bitter – season for Conceicao and Milan, whose long silver lining was lifting the Supercoppa Italiana back in January.
Milan are eighth in Serie A on 60 points, four adrift of Juventus in fourth, with just two games left to play.
“It was a hard-fought match, very competitive, where every duel could be decisive. I think that reflects our season,” Conceicao told Sport Mediaset.
“I am disappointed in losing a final and the opportunity to win silverware, in a difficult season with a very difficult environment.
“At the end of the day, I have to congratulate Bologna, as they played their game well and we were lacking something.”
Milan had beaten Bologna 3-1 in Serie A last Friday, with Santiago Gimenez and Christian Pulisic leading a late comeback to seal all three points.
That had been a fourth consecutive win in all competitions for Conceicao’s side, while it had also been a third straight loss for Vincenzo Italiano’s men.
Milan had 10 attempts in Friday’s win, with five on target, as they accumulated 1.7 expected goals (xG). On Wednesday, they had seven shots, testing Lukasz Skorupski just twice (1.5 xG).
But Conceicao says he could not explain why the performances were so different this time around.
“There are 10,000 things going through your mind in these situations. At the end of the day, everyone is a great coach in hindsight. Before the match, I did what I needed to do, I followed my ideas, so I’d make the same decisions,” he said.
Conceicao is under increasing pressure, having failed to build on his early success with Milan, when he won the Supercoppa Italiana in just his second match.
When asked later in the press conference about his future at the club, the 50-year-old dodged the question.
“The cup is lost, there’s nothing else to do but look forward with dignity. And then we’ll talk about it,” he said.
“Right now there are thoughts about the game, the choices made and other things. I haven’t been in football for two days, now my head is just trying to understand what didn’t work and what more could have been done.”
