Olivier Giroud admits he was ‘frustrated and angry’ after Milan fumbled a 2-0 lead to draw with Napoli, but apologises to coach Stefano Pioli for his outburst. ‘I am only human.’
The night had started so well for the veteran striker at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, scoring with two headers on crosses from Christian Pulisic and Davide Calabria.
They were his first goals in all competition since September 1 and seemed to put his team in a commanding position.
However, Matteo Politano and Giacomo Raspadori completed the comeback after the restart for a 2-2 draw.
“On a personal level, I am happy for the two goals and grateful for the two great crosses from my teammates,” Giroud told Sky Sport Italia.
“However, I am disappointed with the result. We had the opportunity to win the game and created so many chances, but were unable to put the game to bed.”
This is becoming a regular problem for the Rossoneri, who have failed to score a single goal in their three Champions League matches.
“We created so many chances against Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund, but were not clinical enough. Today we could’ve had four or five goals.
“Napoli reacted after our great first half. We knew it would be tougher after the break and their confidence was revitalised by their first goal, but we still could’ve done better.
“The atmosphere in the stadium pushed them on too, that goal was the turning point of the game. I feel angry and frustrated, especially because I saw Inter win before our match and I hope these two dropped points won’t come back to haunt us later on.”
The anger and frustration was evident when Giroud was substituted 10 minutes from time and reacted furiously, even refusing to sit on the bench, instead watching the game play out perched on an ice box.
“I am only human, I am not a robot. I felt disappointed because I was convinced I could help my teammates, that I still had energy left and wanted to stay on.
“Of course, after five minutes I calmed down and apologised to the coach. I respect his decisions and I just want what is best for the team. I was frustrated because we should’ve won this game.”