Paulo Fonseca believes Monza is a tougher opponent than Real Madrid

Though he maintains that it is somewhat "easier" to compete in the UEFA Champions League compared to Serie A, Paulo Fonseca believes Milan defeated Real Madrid since they had "courage" and no fear. After an outstanding showing at the Bernabeu, which was capped by a header from Malick Thiaw, a goal from Alvaro Morata, and a penalty from Vinicius Junior, club owner Gerry Cardinale stepped into the locker room to thank everyone.

While speaking to Sky Sports Italy, he said, “I think we won because the players had the courage to come here and play their game, without being afraid of anything. We wanted to keep the ball, we did great things in the first half and then struggled a little more after the break, but we did it together and totally deserved this victory. It’s not just because we scored three goals, but also we played with a lot of quality.”

Does Fonseca believe he accomplished his goal of changing the perception of Italian teams in Europe tonight evening by executing this coup inside the Bernabeu? He stated this goal when he initially joined Milan.

The former Lille manager said that, “I do not agree when people say Italian football is defensive. We can be a team with more initiative and dominance of the match in Europe, these are the characteristics of the team. We proved that Italian teams don’t just defend, we played the ball and had great positioning. The side has the patience to keep the ball, picking the right moment to attack. We must continue to improve, as we have a lot of potential.”

“We are with the people of Valencia” : Paulo Fonseca

Paulo Fonseca, the manager of AC Milan, spoke to the media prior to his team's UEFA Champions League match against Real Madrid. Paulo Fonseca opened the press conference prior to the game by expressing his sympathies to the Valencian people, who had recently experienced flash floods brought on by storm DANA.

The former AS Roma manager said, “It’s hard to see what has happened, our thoughts are with the people who have suffered at this tragic time. In Italy, we’ve been through a similar situation, although not comparable. We are with the people of Valencia.”