AC Milan head coach Sergio Conceicao could not contain his joy after seeing his side come back from two goals down to beat Inter and win the Supercoppa Italiana.
In truth, after 50 minutes it looked to be yet another disappointment for Milan in the Middle East as Mehdi Taremi had just put Inter 2-0 ahead after Lautaro Martinez’s opener just before half-time.
However, the Rossoneri found themselves a goal ahead of Juventus on Friday in the semi-final and came back, so they knew not to give up. Theo Hernandez scored a free kick to quickly cut the deficit in half, then Christian Pulisic fired in a precision shot to equalize.
Just as it looked like the match was heading to penalties, there was one final moment of drama. In the third minute of the added five minutes, a brilliant through ball from Pulisic found Leao, who smashed the ball into the ground to square Abraham and the tap-in sparked delightful scenes.
After the match, Conceicao spoke to SportMediaset to share his feelings after winning the number one trophy in only his second match, with MilanNews relaying his comments.
You managed victories against Juve and Inter in a few days, how did you do it?
“I’m very happy for the players, it wasn’t easy. The atmosphere was not at its best. We had a few days to work on details and little things that were important to me in these two matches.
“We were facing two top teams. The credit goes to the players who absorbed everything we gave. There were mistakes because the opponent has quality, there are things to improve, there is a lot of work to do.
“They are aware of it, we can do a great job in these 4 months to reach the top places, where Milan should be, not in seventh place like now. Now we have celebrated, from tomorrow we will think of Cagliari.
You turned things around again after halftime, what did you say to the team?
“In the end there were two or three things on the defensive level, it was the offensive phase which had to be lateral. It was a tough blow to concede both goals. In the second half, a poor reading of the space behind us led us 2-0.
“But that means the team has character, they managed to win two games against great teams. At half-time a coach has to manage and change things, that’s part of my job and that’s what they pay me to do.
Today the team pressed well, the defense took a step forward when the midfielder advanced…
“Exactly. Bravo, if we want to be compact all the departments are important and there must be little distance between them. I know that the defenders we have, as well as the midfielders, can still do better.
“They must have courage. If we want to become the great Milan again, we need this desire, this courage. For me, it’s important, and the articulation of the defensive line is not easy. But they are intelligent, they understand what we want despite the short time.
“Then, it’s not easy for the intensity, we didn’t have 5-6 clear days to work. Congratulations to them, they understood what to do to win.
How will you manage Leao?
“Leao is a phenomenon. I have known him for a long time, Portuguese for me. He is relaxed, I am tense (smile). He has to learn 2-3 things and he can be the best in the world.
“He has everything, I’m not saying that to be nice, he has a lot of quality and if he puts it at the service of the team he will be even stronger. In my opinion, at the end of the season he will be one of the best in the world, I have no doubt.
