"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.”
RADJA NAINGGOLAN SLAMS NAPOLI’S SCOTT MCTOMINAY AS "JUST AVERAGE" IN TV RANT
Radja Nainggolan has sparked controversy by calling Napoli's Scudetto winner Scott McTominay "average" in a scathing TV interview.
Scott McTominay’s journey from Manchester United to Napoli has been wild. He’s helped the club win a Scudetto, snagged a Ballon d’Or nomination, and his goal tally is impressive. But not everyone’s sold on him. Even with all those honours, one Serie A legend isn’t convinced. Radja Nainggolan slammed him as just “an average player".
After McTominay’s £26 million jump from Old Trafford in 2024, he took off. He won the Serie A MVP, clinched Napoli’s fourth Scudetto with a spectacular overhead goal against Cagliari, and made a big mark in Italy. Still, Nainggolan, never shy with an opinion, tore into him during a TV interview. Despite McTominay racking up 26 goals in 76 games and getting a Ballon d’Or nod, Nainggolan didn’t hold back. “I don’t like him,” he said on Sky Calcio Unplugged. “He gets his goals, 12, 13, 14 a season, but his general play? He doesn’t have the technique to move between the lines. He’s just average.”
And he wasn’t content to leave it at that. Nainggolan compared himself to today’s names, arguing he was better than both McTominay and Inter’s Hakan Calhanoglu at his best, though he admitted Nicolo Barella sits above him. “At my peak, I was better than McTominay and Calhanoglu, but Barella is on another level,” Nainggolan said. “He doesn’t always score a lot, but when he does, it matters, and you always feel his presence on the pitch. I like De Bruyne, too; he sees things nobody else does. He’s above me, and Modric...he’s always been world-class.”
Of course, Nainggolan’s take doesn’t really jibe with life in Naples. McTominay has become something of a hero there; his face is on murals around the city, the fans have dubbed him ‘McFratm’ (McBrother), and he helped Napoli win the Supercoppa Italiana in December 2025. Even if Inter seems ready to grab the Serie A crown back, McTominay’s reputation hasn’t dipped. His knack for scoring from midfield has been crucial for Conte’s side.
Nainggolan also touched on Belgium’s so-called “Golden Generation” and why they didn’t deliver a major trophy, despite stars like Lukaku, Hazard, and De Bruyne. He knows the team well, having made 30 appearances before retiring after he got left out of the 2018 World Cup squad. “We had Lukaku, Hazard, De Bruyne, and Courtois. Too many superstars, too many egos,” Nainggolan said. “Everyone wanted to be the star, to be the most important guy, and that just doesn’t work.” His take pretty much confirms what fans suspected: there was plenty of talent, but not enough unity.
MANCHESTER UNITED AND CHELSEA ENTER RACE FOR DISCOUNTED €50M-RATED RAFAEL LEãO
Discover why Rafael Leão’s value has plummeted at AC Milan and which Premier League clubs are leading the race to sign him.
Just a year ago, everyone was buzzing about Rafael Leao and his rumoured €120 million move to Chelsea. Fast forward to this summer’s transfer window, and it looks like AC Milan’s ready to let him go for nowhere near that amount. Manchester United, along with a few others, are circling, hoping to get him for much less.
Last week, Gazzetta dello Sport broke the news: Milan now values Leao at just €50 million. That’s a wild drop, especially since six months ago they slapped a €100 million price tag on him.
So what happened? Why did his value tank so quickly?
Perception plays a big part. Leao’s estimated transfer value hasn’t actually changed that much. FootballTransfers’ algorithm had him pegged at €72.5 million last July, and now he’s at €70.7 million. But Milan’s own estimate? That’s fallen off a cliff.
Last summer, Milan wanted €50 million above the algorithm’s number. Now, they’re ready to accept an offer that’s €20 million below it.
Leao once had everything going for him in Milan. In the 2021/22 season, he carried them to the Scudetto, racking up 11 goals and 10 assists. Clubs were fighting over him, and in 2023, Milan rewarded him with a hefty €7 million salary and a massive €175 million release clause. That’s when top European clubs started sniffing around for a record-breaking deal.
But the new contract didn’t spark another big season for Leao. In his next campaign, he scored 15 goals and managed 14 assists, but fans started to turn, especially after two weak outings against Roma in the Europa League.
Things haven’t improved since. Early in the 2024/25 season, Milan benched him for disciplinary reasons, and he seemed pretty unfazed, something that sparked more criticism. He’s had some public clashes with head coach Max Allegri, too. Despite still being Milan’s top scorer, he hasn’t scored in two months. And the fans? They’ve booed him at home games, most recently against Juventus and earlier against Udinese.
Now, Milan looks ready to move on. Leao’s raw talent is still obvious, but at San Siro, the excitement has faded. SciSports, the data analytics folks, show his performance is in “significant decline” based on their SciSkill rating. Still, they think he can bounce back.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan plans to hold off until the World Cup, hoping Leao puts on a big show for Portugal and builds hype again.
He’s still got admirers. Arsenal’s been keeping tabs on him, FootballTransfers said back in February. Chelsea, Liverpool, and United are all in the market for a left-sided attacker and would jump at the chance to grab a rejuvenated Leao.
Sure, the €120 million rumours are a thing of the past. But the old Leão, the top-class player, is still in there somewhere. He just needs the right club, coach, and a fresh start.
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