Milan coach Stefano Pioli praised his players for showing “great desire” after the 4-2 win against Torino in extra time. “It was a great match”.
The Granata were 2-1 up until Hakan Calhanoglu equalised in the 91st minute, before the Diavolo kept their momentum to perform a great comeback and book a semi-final date against Juventus in the Coppa Italia.
Milan coach Stefano Pioli praised his players for showing “great desire” after the 4-2 win against Torino in extra time. “It was a great match”.
The Granata were 2-1 up until Hakan Calhanoglu equalised in the 91st minute, before the Diavolo kept their momentum to perform a great comeback and book a semi-final date against Juventus in the Coppa Italia.
“In my opinion, it was a great match,” Pioli told Rai Sport. “We didn’t deserve to go behind, because in the first half we could’ve been ahead.
“The team showed great desire to stay in the game. We advanced from a tough match.”
Ante Rebic seems to have claimed a place in the 54-year-old’s plans at the Giuseppe Meazza and Pioli revealed he is happy with the Croatia international.
“Rebic had another great game. He is a quality player who has made a great contribution to the team,” Pioli added. “I have many good players and the individual quality can help us win the games.”
Despite conceding two goals against the Granata, the coach felt Milan were “compact” and was happy about the overall performance.
“In other games, we gave away too much. Tonight, it wasn’t like that. Today, the team were very compact, and it worked well. I’m happy about the quality. You can concede some when you create a lot up front.
“The important thing is to have a balanced team. We must enter the match with the right approach.
“Now we need to reinforce those concepts that are taking us this far. By sorting out our flaws, we could become even more efficient.”
Krzysztof Piatek has been linked with a move away from San Siro and left the pitch without a goals as he was replaced by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who sealed the win on Tuesday.
“I believe in all the players I have available,” he said. “It’s normal that a player is won’t be in the optimal condition throughout the season.”
Juventus are waiting in the semi-finals and Pioli accepted that it will be a great challenge but insisted the Old Lady “are not unbeatable”.
“We arrive in the right condition,” he added. “Juventus aren’t unbeatable, even if they are the best team in Italy. Let’s take one game at a time.”
Next up is a League game against Hellas Verona, also at San Siro, on Sunday.