The Rossoneri Vice-President admits he hid in the changing room for the last 20 minutes of the Arsenal game; insists Mark Van Bommel is like a pillar for Milan.
AC Milan Vice-President, Adriano Galliani, has revealed that the pressure of the second-half was too much for him, and he spent the last 20 minutes of the second-leg against Arsenal, staring at the clock in the changing rooms.
The Rossoneri qualified for the quarter-finals of UEFA Champions League on 4-3 aggregate score, after surviving a scare from Arsene Wenger’s side. The Gunners scored three first-half goals at the Emirates Stadium, but failed to
trouble the scorers in the second-half.
Galliani revealed that he almost suffered a nervous-breakdown when Robin Van Persie came extremely close to scoring the fourth goal for the Gunners.
While talking to Sky Sport Italia, Galliani said:
“We suffered a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, but it ended well. The suffering then stops and qualification remains. I suffered too and I opted against watching the last 20 minutes. After that Robin Van Persie chance I thought I was
going to die, instead I’m fortunately alive.”
“I decided to go and walk around the changing rooms, in front of the showers and just look at the clock impatiently until I was told that we had gone through.”
Arsenal went 3-0 up in the first-half, and it looked like AC Milan were on the verge of another dramatic collapse in the UEFA Champions League, bringing back haunting memories of Liverpool and Deportivo La Coruna debacles.
The Rossoneri have advanced to the last eight of the Champions League for the first time in five years, and the qualification will also elevate them in the European rankings.
The Italian entrepreneur, however, insisted that it is imperative for the club to assess the reasons for the collapse, and fix the short-comings before the next match.
“We’ll evaluate what went wrong and also think about our tactics. I saw the risk of being eliminated and the players made unusual mistakes.”
The Vice-president also hailed Mark Van Bommel for his vital role in the game.
“He was a pillar for us.”
He also commended the tremendous character of the Dutchman, after he performed terrifically despite picking up an early booking in the match. Galliani admitted that the midfielder is an immensely important member of the club, and
it is a shame to lose him for their next European game.
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