Matteo Gabbia believes that AC Milan were denied a ‘clear’ penalty towards the end of their Europa League quarter-final first leg defeat against Roma.

Milan have given themselves it all to do in the return fixture as they lost the first leg 1-0 against Roma at San Siro on Thursday night.

The only goal of the game came early on in the first half as Gianluca Mancini was given acres of space to head home a corner having lost his marker.

Roma had a lot of the ball and frustrated Milan, but Olivier Giroud really should have levelled the game late on when he hit the crossbar from a few yards out.

The Rossoneri have seen their seven-game winning run ended, and now they must win at the Stadio Olimpico in one week if they are to stand a chance of reaching the semi-finals

Gabbia spoke to Milan TV after the full-time whistle to try and pick apart what was a frustrating night for him and his team-mates, with MilanNews relaying his comments.

There must be a bitter feeling…

“We are embittered, but we must remain focused because nothing is lost now, we improved in the second half but unfortunately it wasn’t enough, we must not lose faith.”

Any comments on the referee?

“It doesn’t seem right to me to talk about the referee, we just have to think about coming back in the tie, it depends only on us. Now let’s think about Sassuolo, then we’ll think about the Europa League again.”

Do you think it was a handball in Abraham?

“It seemed clear to me, but if Turpin didn’t consider it a penalty then it was right, no alibi or excuses obviously, Abraham’s touch just seemed clear to me.”

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Hall of Famer, legendary Raiders offensive lineman dead at 86
Report: Cavs owner 'would never' trade Donovan Mitchell to this team
Kim Mulkey adds legendary LSU alum to coaching staff
Insider details LeBron James' role in Lakers' head-coaching search
Cardinals switch up offensive line, move 2023 first-rounder to new position
Commanders poach another key overseer of Lions rebuild
Commanders to hire veteran executive as player personnel director
Guardians designate outfielder for assignment
Patriots' Drake Maye starts OTAs in surprising position
Bettors are buying Bronny James hype before the 2024 NBA Draft
Mets release veteran infielder
Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen will finish off their trilogy in a boxing ring
Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren highlight 2023-24 All-Rookie team
Jaguars' Doug Pederson discusses Trevor Lawrence contract extension
Saints, star CB 'moving forward' following trade chatter
Pacers ride historic shooting performance to Game 7 blowout of Knicks
Timberwolves mount incredible second-half comeback to stun Nuggets in Game 7
Xander Schauffele proves doubters wrong with historic win at 2024 PGA Championship
Four things we learned from Joey Logano's All-Star Race win at North Wilkesboro
Phil Foden lifts Manchester City to fourth consecutive English Premier League title