Leao: Fofana’s ball ‘perfect’, Milan ‘lost focus’ but ‘deserved’ win | OneFootball

Rafa Leao once again made a decisive contribution to Milan’s 2-1 win over Red Star, but he thanked his teammate Yousouff Fofana for giving him a ‘perfect ball’ which allowed him to open the scoring for the hosts with his second consecutive Champions League goal.

The Rossoneri still made a late goal from substitute Tammy Abraham in the closing minutes to pick up all three points, but the Portuguese star insisted their victory was ‘deserved’ and that they expected a difficult game, despite conceding they ‘lost focus mentally’ in the second half, allowing the visitors to equalise.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Leao is aware that Red Star’s goal made ‘things a bit more complicated’, as the goal difference could determine who’ll make the top eight after the next two matches, making the difference between booking a direct spot for the round of 16 or going through the play-off round.

MILAN, ITALY – DECEMBER 11: Paulo Fonseca, Head Coach of AC Milan, gestures from the touchline during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 match between AC Milan and FK Crvena Zvezda at Stadio San Siro on December 11, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Leao: Fofana ‘knows’ me, Milan ‘kept battling’ for Red Star win

“We know the next two matches won’t be easy,” Leao told Milan TV after the match, as quoted by Milannews.

“Today we made things a bit more complicated for ourselves. It’s a goal, of course, and the whole team wants to be among the best in Europe.

So we need to start strong in the upcoming games and show that Milan want to win.

“The coach had already spoken about it during the week, describing them as a team that waits for the counter-attack, waits for us to make a mistake in the middle, because they defend together with a low block.

“There’s no space in the middle, so they were always trying to counter-attack to create danger, and that’s how they scored.

“Then, in the second half, we lost focus mentally, we weren’t really in the game. But I have to give ourselves credit because we didn’t stop, we kept battling, kept searching for the goal, and in the end, it came.”

MILAN, ITALY – DECEMBER 11: Rafael Leao of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 match between AC Milan and FK Crvena Zvezda at Stadio San Siro on December 11, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“He’s a very important player,” Leao continued, speaking of Fofana.

“He’s someone I get along very well with. That movement is something he knows, he knows that when I have space, I make that run.

“The ball was perfect; I just had to control it well and then shoot quickly before the goalkeeper arrived. Yes, I’m happy with the goal. But the most important thing was the win. It was difficult, but in the end, we deserved it.”