Fikayo Tomori: Ex Chelsea Defender Admits AC Milan Were Anxious in Champions League Loss to Inter

Fikayo Tomori: Ex Chelsea Defender Admits AC Milan Were Anxious in Champions League Loss to Inter

Elijah Odetokun
updated at May 11, 2023 at 8:53 AM
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  • Inter Milan got the better of rivals AC Milan in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final
  • Inter scored twice in the opening 10 minutes and held on to gain the advantage at home next week
  • Former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori has identified where AC Milan lost against their city rivals

Fikayo Tomori has a theory on where it went wrong for AC Milan, following their UEFA Champions League semi-final 2-0 loss to neighbours, Inter Milan.

The two teams share the iconic Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in San Siro, but the Rossoneri played at home first, making the scoreline even more challenging going into the second leg next week.

Edin Dzeko opened the scoring for Inter in the seventh minute before former Premier League star, Henrikh Mkhitaryan doubled the lead three minutes later.

Fikayo Tomori, Romelu Lukaku, Inter Milan, AC Milan, San Siro, UEFA Champions League.
Fikayo Tomori battles for the ball with Romelu Lukaku. Photo by Chris Brunskill.
Source: Getty Images

According to Al Jazeera, it was the first Milan derby in the knockout stage of the Champions League since the famous 2005 'Derby of Shame', which AC Milan won.

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Tomori: AC Milan was anxious

AC Milan were without Portuguese winger, Rafael Leao, who failed to recover from the muscle injury he picked up at the weekend against Lazio.

Tomori has now identified where it went wrong for his team against the Nerazzurri, highlighting the first 15 minutes of the game as where it was lost.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed - just the way we started the game, conceding two goals early on like that. The first one from a corner, obviously disappointing and then to concede straight after,” he told BT Sports.

He also admitted it had been a difficult encounter overall.

“In the first half, I think there was a bit of anxiety within the team, and in a game like this, you can’t give them a millimetre, a centimetre. I think in the first 15 minutes, they came and they were really good with their pressure..."

Going into the second leg, where Milan’s red and black side will play away, the defender admitted it would be a difficult but not impossible task to turn around the deficit.

How Tomori tamed Osimhen

Sports Brief previously reported on Tomori explaining Victor Osimhen's taming during the quarter-final between AC Milan and the champions of Italy, Napoli.

The English-Nigerian defender explained he always ensured he got between the ball and the powerful striker, even though he did managed to score in the end.

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Elijah Odetokun photo
Elijah Odetokun
Elijah Odetokun is Reuters-trained journalist with three years of experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria, OmaSports and El Futbolero.