"WE HAD IT!" — MAX ALLEGRI’S HONEST ADMISSION ON THE PENALTY THAT DERAILED AC MILAN
Max Allegri hails a "positive" point at Roma despite a late penalty denying AC Milan a win at the Stadio Olimpico.
Max Allegri looked back at Milan’s draw at the Stadio Olimpico and kept things pretty simple: they were on track to win until Roma got their penalty. “It’s a positive result,” he said, “but these things happen.”
For a while, it looked like a repeat of their last meeting at San Siro. Back then, Roma dominated but couldn’t get past Mike Maignan, and Milan stole a 1-0 win. This time, Koni De Winter finished off a Luka Modric corner to put Milan ahead, but Lorenzo Pellegrini converted his penalty—unlike Paulo Dybala in November, who got denied.
The numbers pretty much say it all. Roma had 15 shots to Milan’s 5 and a huge xG advantage—2.74 to 0.35. Things did even out a bit after halftime, though.
Allegri found reasons to be upbeat. “We started well for about seven or eight minutes, then Roma really pressed us. They were first to every loose ball and dangerous with those vertical passes,” he told DAZN Italia. “Maignan kept us in it with some great saves. In the second half, we improved technically, and Roma lost some of their intensity.”
When Milan took the lead, Allegri thought they had the game in hand. “But these things happen. We leave with a positive result. Getting a point at the Olimpico is important at this stage of the season. We gained a point on Napoli and kept Roma at arm’s length.”
Milan’s still sitting second, five points off leaders Inter, but they’ve now opened up a five-point gap over fifth-placed Juventus.
Allegri admitted, “Roma really pushed, and there’s always one team that presses harder. We were more aggressive after the break. Against a team pressing as they do, you need to play around them with longer combinations. We gave them a few chances by making mistakes playing out from the back—should’ve been sharper, instead of leaving Gabbia exposed one-on-one.”
“After we went ahead, we defended well. Then, just when everything seemed to be going our way, the penalty hit. Honestly, before that, it felt more likely we’d go 2-0 up than Roma would equalise.”
With this draw, Milan’s unbeaten run in Serie A stretches to 21 matches, ever since that opening weekend loss to Cremonese back in August 2025.
Late in the game, Allegri sent on Niclas Füllkrug and Christian Pulisic from the bench, while Rafael Leão tried to build some chemistry with Christopher Nkunku. “They’re all important players,” Allegri said. “When I made the changes, Leao and Nkunku were getting better, but I wanted someone strong in the air—Pulisic has that determination to finish things off.”
He shrugged. “You think you have it figured out, then football throws you something else.”
TIRED OR TOUGH? THE CONFLICTING ITALIAN MEDIA REPORTS ON SCOTT MCTOMINAY’S PERFORMANCE
Scott McTominay and Napoli suffer Champions League elimination after a 3-2 home defeat to Chelsea's clinical Joao Pedro.
Scott McTominay had a rough night as Napoli crashed out of the Champions League on Wednesday. The reigning Serie A champs missed out on a play-off spot after losing at home to Chelsea.
It was a wild night in the Champions League, and Napoli ended up as one of the biggest letdowns. Even with home advantage against Liam Rosenior's team, they only managed to finish 30th overall. Chelsea, on the other hand, walked away with sixth.
McTominay, along with Manchester United loanee Rasmus Hojlund, couldn’t stop Napoli from falling 3-2 in Naples. Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring, but Napoli hit back before halftime thanks to Antonio Vergara and Hojlund.
But after the break, Joao Pedro bagged a brace and sealed Napoli’s fate. The Italian press didn’t hold back in their reviews of McTominay’s performance.
Il Napolista gave McTominay a 6 out of 10. They liked his grit but pointed out he lost possession a few too many times in midfield. Still, they said he was a threat going forward—enough to give Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez something to worry about. But in the end, it just wasn’t enough for Conte’s side.
Il Messaggero also gave him a 6. They called his first half “average”, even though the game was played at a high level. After halftime, they thought he looked tired and didn’t live up to his usual standards.
Corriere dello Sport was a bit more generous with a 6.5. They praised his fighting spirit—classic Premier League style—and said he gave it everything he had. But as Serie A’s current MVP, expectations are high, and he just couldn’t find the goals Napoli needed.
Essere Partnopei matched that 6.5 rating. They praised his energy and said he was as active as ever, moving the ball well. Still, his efforts couldn’t keep Napoli from being knocked out.
Napoli Magazine skipped the ratings but said McTominay wasn’t at his best. He’s a key player for Conte and stayed committed, but it wasn’t enough to push Napoli into the next round.
"DON'T JUMP SHIP!" — ANTONIO CONTE’S EXPLOSIVE WARNING TO NAPOLI STARS AFTER JUVENTUS ROUT
Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund fail to fire as Juventus crush Napoli 3-0. Discover Conte’s defiant post-match reaction.
Napoli just fell nine points behind in the Serie A title chase after Scott McTominay and the rest of the squad took a heavy 3-0 loss against Juventus.
The defending champs barely put up a fight at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. Juventus looked sharp, closing the gap with Napoli to just a single point. Right now, Gli Azzurri sit fourth with 43 points, Juventus are right behind on 42, and Inter still lead the pack with 52. If Antonio Conte’s side wants to catch up, they’ve got a lot of work to do.
McTominay played the whole match for Napoli but couldn’t change the game. Frustration was obvious for the visitors. Rasmus Hojlund, on loan from Manchester United, struggled again and didn’t make much of a difference up front. While his parent club edged out Arsenal 3-2 in London, Hojlund missed two decent chances in Turin. He hasn’t scored for Napoli since late December.
Romelu Lukaku finally got back on the pitch after his injury, but with just 12 minutes left, the result was already settled. Juventus were two goals up—Jonathan David bagged the first, Kenan Yildiz added another, and Filip Kostic finished things off near the end with a third.
Napoli are still missing another Scot, Billy Gilmour, and creative midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is out hurt as well. Next up, Chelsea comes to Naples on Wednesday night. Napoli really needs a win to stay in the hunt for a Champions League play-off spot.
Conte faced up to the defeat but made it clear Napoli aren’t about to give up on the Scudetto—even with all these injuries.
Conte didn’t sugarcoat things:
“As long as it was 1-0, it felt close—like we might grab a draw,” he said. “But after their second goal, things opened up, and then they scored a third. Credit to them, but also to my guys. There’s not much to say or criticise. Even here in Turin, they gave everything.
“Sometimes you get past these obstacles, sometimes you don’t. For the first time in my career, I had to bring on a player [Giovane]. I’d never even seen him in training—a kid who just joined us Saturday. That tells you something about what we’re dealing with right now.
“But we’re not quitting. We know the situation, and we’ll keep pushing. It feels like we’re out at sea in a storm, but we’re not bailing. If someone wants to jump ship, fine—they can swim to shore. The rest of us are staying on board, ready to fight with everything we’ve got, whatever comes our way.”