‘He used double standards’ - AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli ‘angry’ with referee after humbling first-leg defeat to Inter in Champions League semi-final

• AC Milan lost 2-0 to Inter
• Dzeko & Mkhitaryan scored the goals
• Pioli hit out at the referee after the match

WHAT HAPPENED? Milan were caught flat-footed twice within 11 minutes in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Inter as Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored early goals to hand the Nerazzuri a 2-0 lead ahead of the return leg on May 16. It could have been worse as Spanish referee Manzano pointed to the penalty spot after Lautaro Martinez appeared to have been tripped inside the box by Simon Kjaer. However, an intervention from VAR made him change his mind and he reverted the initial penalty decision and the yellow card shown to the Dane. However, the official did not caution the striker for throwing himself to the floor despite vehement protests from Milan players.

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WHAT THEY SAID: After the match, during a chat with Prime Video Pioli vented his anger towards the referee and said, "I'm angry with the referee, he often used double standards.

"Inter put in more quality in the first half and we missed too many balls for the level of the match. Until the seventh minute Inter had never entered our area, then they scored two goals. It's a shame because we believed in it, matches can change quickly. We will try to do better in the second leg. I think they had the better of the tackles and second balls. The match went badly from a tactical and mental point of view.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Despite an underwhelming performance from his troops in the first 90 minutes, Pioli remains confident that they can turn the tide in the second leg by producing a much-improved performance.

“We have to build on the attitude of the second half. We had the chances to get the game back on track," he added. "We made mistakes in the passing game and we will have to put in an absolutely different performance from tonight. For the boys right now there is disappointment, but also the awareness of turning the game around."

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Milan will shift their attention to a Serie A fixture against Spezia on Saturday before taking on Inter in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final next Wednesday.