31 October 2017
Having set his sights on securing passage to the last 16 of the Champions League this evening, Massimiliano Allegri was disappointed his side could only draw away at Sporting.
“It’s a shame – we’ve not managed to put it beyond doubt. It’s still all to play for, with another two tough games to go,” he said after the match.
“Against Barcelona, it will be an open game. The last match in Athens risks being hellish.”
As for how the match played out in Lisbon, Allegri said: “It was a poor first half. Even after the goal there was no reaction from us – we didn’t spring back into life.
“It was better after the interval. The changes around the 70th minute provided more dynamism, as you’d expect, but even once we’d equalised we weren’t very slick in our play
“We had time to try and turn the game in our favour, but we didn’t do so.
“There clearly needs to be an element of fear to bring the best out of us. We’ll take tonight’s result and we’ll think about approaching Benevento with respect and focus on winning that game,” he concluded.
