Milan coach Stefano Pioli stormed out of a press conference after he was repeatedly pressed to say Christian Pulisic engaged in ‘unsporting behaviour’ against Lazio.
The game ended 1-0 to the Rossoneri thanks to a Noah Okafor goal at the 88th minute, but it was overshadowed by the chaotic performance of referee Marco Di Bello, who completely lost control in stoppages.
He sent off Adam Marusic for dissent and Matteo Guendouzi for a reaction foul, two decisions that seemed extremely harsh.
Yet the incident that seemed to draw the most focus was the first red card for Luca Pellegrini, who had already been booked when he received a second yellow card for pulling back Pulisic.
Pellegrini was trying to shepherd the ball out of play, as Taty Castellanos was down clutching his face following an accidental collision with Ismael Bennacer.
Pulisic did not realise this, as it was behind him, so pounced on the loose ball and was brought down.
Lazio are down to 10-men against AC Milan as Luca Pellegrini sees red for this challenge… 😳 pic.twitter.com/XBZ8NBGZAq
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 1, 2024
Pioli had already defended Pulisic during the post-match interview with DAZN, but things got heated in the press conference when a reporter repeatedly pressed the coach to condemn the American for “unsporting behaviour.”
“Pulisic is a fair player and he respected the rules: until the referee blows the whistle, you keep playing. We could do nothing different.
“I do not agree it was unsporting. Absolutely not. He respected the rules.”
Pioli was then asked if he regretted not substituting Rafael Leao, replied “no” and walked away.
Davide Calabria also stood up for Pulisic, telling Sky Sport Italia “it was a misunderstanding, he did not realise they were trying to put the ball out.”
Lazio go down to 10 men! 🟥
Luca Pellegrini takes down Christian Pulisic for his second yellow of the match 😬 pic.twitter.com/JX5xd1YoHD
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 1, 2024
Lazio tried to take the officiating of the game into their own hands. PLAY TO THE WHISTLE.
Stop it Albert , the referee was outrageous! You can’t “PLAY TO THE WHISTLE” if the decision is incorrect. The fact he is getting dropped shows your view is wrong.