Conceicao stays grounded after Milan beat Bologna ahead of final
AC Milan coach Sergio Conceicao reacts REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo/File Photo
(Reuters) - AC Milan manager Sergio Conceicao urged his players to learn quickly from Friday's see-saw performance, warning that improvement is needed ahead of the Coppa Italia final despite a convincing win against Bologna in Serie A on Friday.
Milan's 3-1 victory at home offered a decent dress rehearsal for next Wednesday's final, where they will meet Bologna again at the iconic Stadio Olimpico in Rome, though the Portuguese manager was not entirely satisfied with his side.
"From tomorrow, we will start preparing for the Coppa Italia. We have to learn from what we did and did not do, as there were negatives and positives tonight," Concecaio told Sky Sport Italia.
"I expect differences to both teams, but this is a final, sometimes the side that doesn't play the best football ends up winning," he added.
With a Coppa Italia win, Milan will have two trophies this season, having also lifted the Supercoppa in early January, but Conceicao did not want to speculate if a win would secure his future.
"I am accustomed to certain things. This is not the moment to talk about me. At the right moment, I will speak," he said.
Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano was unhappy with the final part of the match, where his side collapsed against an aggressive Milan who scored all three goals in the last minutes.
"We were in control of the game, had chances to score a second goal, but there was a 15-minute blackout that I cannot explain," Italiano told Sky Sport Italia.
"It was the worst 15 minutes I'd seen from my team in a long while, but otherwise we played with character and could've added more goals.
"We will analyse this, because on Wednesday we need a different approach from those who came off the bench, as I liked the way we started."
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C'est un phénomène, il a une très longue carrière devant lui. » 👏💎 — Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) June 9, 2025 However, there were mixed reactions from the Spanish camp, especially Yamal, who appeared disappointed and frustrated by the loss. Despite his brave performance throughout the tournament, the young star was unable to deliver when it mattered most. ❗️Lamine Yamal was staring at Cristiano Ronaldo during the guard of honor. — Madrid Universal (@MadridUniversal) June 8, 2025 In the aftermath of the match, Ronaldo was seen offering a brief word of encouragement to Yamal in the tunnel. The 38-year-old, despite the controversy and tension, acknowledged the young forward's potential and even offered a congratulatory pat on the back. A reporter asked Ronaldo what he would say to Lamine Yamal after losing the Nations League final and this was his response ❤️ — ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 9, 2025 Yamal didn't even look at Ronaldo when he offered the handshake. 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