AC Milan Fall Short As Parma Win 1-0; Title Hopes Fade In Serie A

Add as a preferred source on Google

AC Milan’s 1-0 home defeat to Parma at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza dealt a major blow to their Serie A title hopes, ending a 24-match unbeaten league run and leaving the Rossoneri 10 points behind leaders Inter, with the Opta supercomputer now giving Milan just a 3.1% chance of finishing champions.

Assistant coach Marco Landucci, standing in for the suspended Massimiliano Allegri, saw Mariano Troilo settle the contest with an 80th-minute header, as Milan failed to score at home for the first time since April 2025, despite creating several openings across a frustrating and physically costly match.

The setback against Parma has serious consequences in the Serie A table, with Inter now strongly favoured in the title race at a 96.1% win probability in Opta’s simulations, while Milan’s hopes shrink, even though Milan still sit second and remain focused on securing a Champions League return for next season.

Landucci explained that the dressing room felt the weight of the result, but stressed the need to concentrate on performance levels rather than Inter’s advantage, saying, "The team was disappointed, we tried to reassure them," Landucci added. "We mustn't think about the other sides, but our own journey, getting as many points as possible. Our objective is to get back into the Champions League."

Milan’s problems began even before kick-off when Matteo Gabbia suffered an issue in the warm-up, forcing a late change to the starting line-up, and the disruption worsened after only 11 minutes as Ruben Loftus-Cheek clashed with Edoardo Corvi and could not continue, further unsettling a side already missing Allegri on the touchline.

There was more misfortune when Rafael Leao struck the post, and Troilo later beat Mike Maignan with a close-range header; referee Marco Piccinini initially disallowed the goal for a supposed foul on the Milan goalkeeper, but the decision was overturned following a VAR review, handing Parma a decisive advantage in the closing stages.

Milan still dominated much of the attacking play, registering 25 attempts and producing an expected goals figure of 1.33, yet only six efforts tested Corvi, and it was the first time since April 2022, against Bologna when they had 33 shots, that Milan recorded so many attempts in Serie A without finding the net, adding to Landucci’s frustration.

{TABLE_1}

Reflecting on the chain of setbacks, Landucci pointed to the demanding nature of Serie A and the specific misfortunes Milan experienced, stating, "I think Serie A is the most difficult league in the world, because it is so very balanced, and every game has hidden dangers," Landucci told Sky Sport Italia. There are games that just don't go your way. Today, Gabbia got hurt in the warm-up, and we were forced to make a change at the last minute. Then Loftus-Cheek got hurt immediately and suffered a nasty knock. It was a bit of an unlucky evening.

Speaking about the overall display against Parma, Landucci underlined both respect for the visitors and disappointment with Milan’s finishing, saying, "We are not happy, obviously," Landucci added. "Parma played very well and the ball just didn't want to go in for us tonight. We wanted the three points, so of course we felt let down, but we go again from Tuesday."