On-loan AC Milan striker Gonzalo Higuain on Sunday apologized for his meltdown in the 2-0 defeat to his parent club Juventus which saw him sent off for screaming at the referee after earlier missing a penalty.
Higuain had shrugged off a back injury to take on his former teammates after being loaned to AC Milan last summer to make space for the arrival of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, but tensions boiled over as Milan struggled to find a way past the reigning seven-time champions.
Higuain was sent off after 83 minutes, two minutes after Ronaldo fired in his eighth league goal in 12 matches since arriving from Real Madrid.
Photo: AFP
Higuain saw red after screaming at referee Paolo Mazzoleni in protest at a yellow card for a foul on Medhi Benatia.
“I know that we are an example for all children, for those who play football, for the people watching, but we are not robots and we carry things within us,” Higuain said. “We are human, we feel emotions, the game was not going the right way and it was one of those days.”
“I think sometimes the referees should understand the situation,” added Higuain, who won two Serie A titles with Juventus after joining from SSC Napoli in 2016.
The 30-year-old was loaned to AC Milan, with defender Leonardo Bonucci moving the other way.
He has scored five goals for Milan, but could not get one past his former club, for whom he scored 16 goals in the league last season.
Mario Mandzukic headed in the opener in the eighth minute at the San Siro, before Higuain failed to convert his 40th-minute chance from the penalty spot after a Benatia handball.
Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny tipped the ball onto the post.
“Had I scored, the game would have changed,” Higuain said. “Now we have to look ahead, we will have two weeks of rest and then face [SS] Lazio for fourth place.”
Milan’s third loss his season saw them drop out of the UEFA Champions League places into fifth behind Lazio, who moved back into fourth despite a 1-1 draw at US Sassuolo.
Coach Gennaro Gattuso conceded his side were no match for Juventus, who bounced back from their Champions League defeat to Manchester United to maintain their six-point advantage ahead of Carlo Ancelotti’s SSC Napoli.
“Juventus have shown they have something more than us,” Gattuso said. “Right now, he [Higuain] feels a huge weight on his shoulders and it shows. He missed the penalty against his former team, sometimes the emotion can get to you. He must calm down, apologize and assume his responsibilities. He’s our most important player and he has to make the difference. He has to be clear-headed.”
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
RSS