AC Milan suffered a surprise defeat to 18th-placed Spezia in Serie A, which dealt a blow to their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
The hosts took the lead through Przemyslaw Wisniewski, and Salvatore Esposito sealed the victory with a stunning free-kick in the closing stages. Milan, who lost 2-0 to Inter Milan in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, remain in fifth place in the table, four points behind Lazio.
Milan had chances to score but hit the post twice before Wisniewski scored the opener. The defeat was Milan’s first league loss to a team in the bottom three since 2017. The fans expressed their disappointment towards the team after the game.
Milan will attempt to overturn their deficit against Inter Milan in the second leg on Tuesday, but the team is still reeling from last week’s defeat.
While addressing the press, Pioli said, “It’s normal that the Champions League is on our minds and it’s normal that we were disappointed with the result of the first leg,”
“But we know that the season comes from both the championship and the Champions League, and this defeat complicates our future.
“Now we don’t have many chances left to be positive this season. Tuesday is a great opportunity – we have to believe we can beat Inter.”
