Fonseca upbeat despite Champions League loss
Paulo Fonseca viewed Milan's display in its Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen as its best performance of the season.
Milan went down 1-0 at BayArena, meaning it has now lost both of its matches so far in the new-look competition.
The seven-time European champion is now winless across its last six matches against German opposition in major competitions (D4 L2) since a 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich in April 2007.
Milan came on strong after Victor Boniface's goal early in the second half, though prior to that had been by far second best, mustering only one shot and 0.04 expected goals (xG) in the opening 45 minutes.
It hit the woodwork in the second half while Lukas Hradecky made a smart stop to deny Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and despite the rather grim match statistics, Fonseca believes his team turned in its best display of the campaign.
"We didn't win, but it's the game I've liked the most since I arrived here," Fonseca said. "Especially in the second half. We played a fantastic game, it's not easy against a team like Leverkusen.
"We are sad and disappointed with the result, but I am satisfied with the courage and form shown.
"It was difficult for us. In the first half we suffered on the wings."
In the closing minutes, Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie made a challenge on Loftus-Cheek at the edge of the area, which the Milan boss believes should have resulted in a penalty.
"For me it's a penalty, it's an intervention on the line," Fonseca said. "What's strange is that they haven't even reviewed the situation. The referee during the game had no doubts, but I don't like to talk about the referee."
Speaking to Milan TV, Fonseca said his side deserved to get something from the game.
"I honestly think the result is not fair, in the second half we created many clear chances," he said. "It's true that we didn't win, but there was an improvement in our growth. It was evident. This is why we must move forward, because the growth is evident."
