AC Milan Fails In Coppa Italia, Conceicao Aims For The Last Two Matches In Serie A

JAKARTA - Coach Sergio Conceicao hopes AC Milan will rise and look to the last two matches in the Italian Serie A competition after a failure in the Coppa Italia.

Milan failed to win the Coppa Italia after losing 1-0 against Bologna in the final match at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Thursday, May 15, 2025 in the morning WIB.

The result made Milan only able to win the Italian Supercoppa this season as well as Conceicao's first trophy to replace Paulo Fonseca in the middle of the competition.

Conceicao said the final match was actually a draw. This is what makes the Portuguese coach claim to be disappointed with the defeat. Moreover, Milan actually had the opportunity to repeat its success like the previous match.

In the domestic competition last weekend, Milan beat Bologna 3-1. But Rossoblu finally responded through Dan Ndeye's single goal. Bologna ended the waiting for the Coppa Italia title for 51 years. They last won in 1974.

"The match in the first half actually went a draw. We had a chance to score and should have taken the lead in this important match," Conceicao was quoted as saying by Football Italia.

"In my opinion, we should have got better results in the second half. Bologna was just lucky when they scored. It was a fierce and tight match. Every moment could be decisive. The match reflects how competition this season is," he said.

"I am certainly disappointed with the defeat in the final and the failure to win trophies. This is indeed a tough season for us. What for, I congratulate Bologna again," said Conceicao.

Conceicao also highlighted referee Maurizio Mariani's performance in allowing Lewis Ferguson's strong foul on Christian Pulisic before the end of the first half. Ferguson should have received a second yellow card that led to a red card.

Only Conceicao did not want to find excuses about the referee's performance and several other controversial decisions. According to him Milan are now fully focused on completing the last two matches in the Italian League. Even though the chances are slim, Milan, who is ranked eighth, still has hopes of entering the European zone.

"I don't want to find an alibi for the referee. There were two or three controversial incidents. But I don't want to find excuses. We should have done more than that. What is clear, we won the Supercoppa and went to the Coppa Italia final. Now we want to finish this season well," he said.

Milan will return to the Olimpico when they play in Serie A. This time, the Rossoneri face the host AS Roma, Monday, May 19, 2025 in the morning WIB. Furthermore, in the final match of the competition, May 25, 2025 evening WIB, they host Monza.

"There are still other important matches against Roma on Sunday [local time]. Now, we are focused on the next match," he said.

Currently, Milan is ranked eighth with a pocket of 60 points. They are still four points adrift of Juventus who are in fourth position or in the Champions League zone.

But Milan are in tight competition with other teams such as Lazio, Roma and Bologna who also have the opportunity to shift Juve. If they fail to reach the Champions League, Milan will compete with Lazio and Roma for tickets to the Europa League.

Meanwhile, Bologna, who won the Coppa Italia, has pocketed a ticket to the Europa League.