Francesco Acerbi reacts to controversy following Lazio’s 2-1 defeat to Milan

Francesco Acerbi and Adam Marusic got involved in an on-field ruckus after Milan scored the decisive goal in the 92nd-minute of the match.

Lazio hosted Milan on Sunday evening in Rome. With Milan looking to topple Inter to become the league leaders and the home side pushing for European spots, the game had all the ingredients for a fiery contest. Ciro Immobile’s opener in the fourth minute added some more fuel to the fire. Despite making some eye-catching attempts, Milan had to enter the tunnel with a 1-0 deficit at the end of the first half.

Olivier Giroud rose to the occasion for Milan, scoring the all-important equaliser for the visitors. But they needed a victory to go past Inter in the points table. A miscommunication between Acerbi and Marusic led to Lazio conceding their second goal on the night.

With Acerbi already down on the ground after committing himself to a headed clearance, Sandro Tonali was able to put the ball past Strakosha, winning the game for Milan in the injury time and securing all three points in the process. 

After conceding the goal, Acerbi was witnessed laughing at something exclusively. Seeing him laugh, Marusic ran towards him and started hurling some harsh words at his ears. Lazio fans were also quick to criticise the defender for his cheerful attitude on the pitch despite the team losing three points from a winning position. Some also questioned his professionalism, asking him to leave the club. 

Reacting to the criticism, Acerbi shared a post on his Instagram account. Reminding everyone of his loyalty towards the club and its fans, he wrote:

“I have always given everything for these colours and I am proud to have won trophies with this shirt. There was some friction, I repeat it as I have already done, I made a mistake and apologized. The laugh tonight was hysterical for losing my colon in a daring way and not because I was happy I lost. I wouldn’t even want a fan to think that about me.”