AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli said referee Marco Serra apologized for the mistake he made and cost his club a 2-1 loss to Spezia in the Italian soccer league on Monday.
Milan's Junior Messias put the ball into the net in stoppage time during the 1-1 draw, but the referee canceled the goal because he had blown the whistle before that to calculate a foul in the interest of his colleague Ante Rebic.
And only about two seconds passed between the mistake and Messias' shot, but the referee did not give any advantage, and Milan players were furious when Spezia scored the winning goal in the 96th minute.
corporate responsibility
"The responsibility was not shared between us (we and the referee) in such a way as it happened tonight, because we scored one goal and conceded an avoidable goal, and because of the obvious mistake of the referee, which caused a change in the final result," Pioli told a news conference.
"After the foul, the team lost everything they could possibly lose in terms of focus. The referee apologised. I feel sorry for this man. He immediately apologized and put his hand up because he realized he had made a mistake."
The defeat dealt a blow to Milan, after it deprived it of leading the league, and it is two points behind the leaders Inter Milan, who has one match postponed and can widen the difference.
But Milan will make himself quick to compensate when he plays in the next two matches against rivals Juventus, fifth in the standings, and against Inter, and Pioli said, "The two matches against Inter and Juventus come at the perfect time."