Monaco edged out Milan in a tense and closely contested EuroLeague matchup, but the aftermath was just as eventful as the game itself. The clash featured several disputed calls, and Milan head coach Ettore Messina made no effort to hide his frustration.
Speaking in his flash interview immediately after the final buzzer, Messina pointed to the officiating as a key source of tension.
“It was a very nervous game, because it was not well officiated one more time,” he remarked.
Still, Messina avoided going into a lengthy debate on the referees, choosing instead to highlight the resilience of his team.
“We can discuss it until tomorrow morning, it’s always the same story. We played a good, tough game with all the problems we had against a good team,” he said.
Later in the postgame press conference, Messina reflected on how the contest slipped away late.
“It was a hard-fought game; when we didn’t have problems, we built ourselves a chance to win it. Unfortunately, we were not sharp in the last two, three possessions. The biggest thing for us is to recover the players who are not healthy and to play two good games in Munich and Kaunas next week.”
Messina was referring to the absence of several key players, including Josh Nebo, Vlatko Cancar, and Leonardo Tote, whose injuries have left Milan short-handed early in the season.
On the other side, Monaco head coach Vassilis Spanoulis gave credit to Milan’s effort while also calling on his own squad to keep improving.
“It’s not easy to win here, against a great coach and a great team. We have to improve not only when we lose, but also when we win to become a better team,” Spanoulis said.
For Milan, the focus now turns to getting healthy and regrouping ahead of tough road games, while Monaco looks to build on the victory and address areas where Spanoulis still sees room for growth.
Ettore Messina after loss to Monaco: "It was a very nervous game because it wasn't well-officiated"https://t.co/TwWjTwGZzG
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) October 9, 2025
