AC Milan players forced to listen to club ultras after dismal display

AC Milan players were given a rallying message by the club’s ultras after their dismal defeat against Spezia.

After losing 2-0 in the Champions League semi-final first leg against Inter Milan on Wednesday, AC were looking to get back to winning ways against Spezia.

However, they produced a poor performance at the Stadio Alberto Picco as goals from Przemyslaw Wisniewski and Salvatore Esposito sealed a 2-0 win for Spezia.

After the match, AC players were seen with the club’s ultras and stood still as the fans gave them a message. You can watch the footage below.

It was reported that the fans told the players that despite losing, they are with them and encouraged them to beat rivals Inter next time out.

AC boss Stefano Pioli then led a round of applause which the fans reciprocated.

Fans were quick to react on social media.

One said: “Fair play to the Milan players and coach for engaging. This is how it should be between fans and clubs.”

Another tweeted: “This is one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen.”

A third fan added: “Something brilliant about this. At the end of the day the players and managers perform for the fans, without fans the clubs couldn’t exist. Refreshing to see equal respect shown from both fans and the team there.”

Someone else wrote: “Love the idea of this. Looked very respectful.”

Whilst a fifth commented: “Nice to see this. Sometimes players and coaches need to be reminded how much they actually mean to the fans.”

Alamy

Pioli said after the match: “They pushed us and motivated us to give our best. We lacked consistency during the game, we needed a higher tempo.

“It was a balanced match, the first half was alright, but we lost our way in the second. It was not a performance suited to our capabilities.”

AC will now take on Inter on Tuesday as they look to overturn a 2-0 deficit and reach their first Champions League final since 2007.