Samu Castillejo has explained his reaction to Milan’s stunning 3-2 comeback victory over Hellas Verona on Saturday evening. The Rossoneri turned a 2-0 half-time deficit into a 3-2 win at San Siro to maintain their unbeaten start to this Serie A season.
Gianluca Caprari’s seventh-minute opener brought last season’s memories back to life as Verona managed to silence San Siro in their second straight Serie A visit. Things went from bad to worse for Milan after Alessio Romagnoli tackled Alessandro Prontera to the ground inside the 18-yard box in the 22nd minute. Antonin Barak made no mistake from the spot to give the visitors a comfortable 2-0 half-time lead.
However, Stefano Pioli’s men replied after the break. Olivier Giroud headed home Rafael Leao’s cross to bring Milan back to life just before the hour mark. Davide Faraoni made a silly mistake inside Verona’s penalty area to give Franck Kessie a prime opportunity to restore the stalemate in the 76th minute. The Ivorian converted the spot-kick before Koray Gunter’s sloppy own goal handed the Rossoneri all three points.
Castillejo, who replaced underperforming Alexis Saelemaekers at half-time, played a pivotal role in helping Milan pull off a sensational comeback. Heavily linked with a move away from San Siro during the summer transfer window, the Spaniard made his first Serie A appearance for the club this term. Though he didn’t cease to amaze, the 26-year-old was caught in tears after the final whistle.
In the post-match interview, Castillejo explained how the emotions got the better of him as Milan managed their best-ever Serie A start in a three-point-per-win era.
“My tears said it all about the period I went through and am still going through,” he said, as relayed by TUTTOmercatoWEB.
“I am someone who tries to give his all on the pitch. Yesterday it felt like nobody wanted me here, today I can celebrate with the fans in my home of San Siro.”
Milan leapfrogged Napoli at the Serie A summit, though Lucian Spalletti’s side will have the opportunity to reclaim the top spot when they take on Torino at home on Sunday.