MILAN – This is what was said after the Rossoneri’s win over Genoa on Sunday afternoon at the San Siro in round 25 of Serie A:

SINISA MIHAJLOVIC
“Today we had to win and we have done that. We played well and we gave away very few chances. Matches have to be killed off though otherwise the result is always hanging in the balance. The team played well against a side that makes it hard for you and frustrates your play. We deserved to win. I only talk based on what I see out on the pitch. Looking at our rivals, we are in better shape than them at this moment in several areas. If we keep these performances going, and keep improving in front of goal, we will also be in the hunt for third place. We know that Napoli and Juventus are the two strongest teams. Napoli have incredible potential in attack with Higuain. But it won’t be easy for them facing us. It will be a great match and we will play our game as we always do. When the team is playing well, it is difficult to change. Abate and Antonelli have played well. I see De Sciglio as a starter and today he took his chance. This is the right attitude. Every time a player is called upon, he has to give his all. Like I said after the Frosinone match, if Honda continues to play like this, he will always play. In the past he and Montolivo were criticised. But they have shown that with work and sacrifices, you can turn jeers into cheers. I congratulate both of them. At Napoli we are going for the win, as I have always done in my career. Whoever doesn’t give their all for the entire match, won’t play.”

RICCARDO MONTOLIVO
“We had the right attitude today and we controlled the match. Like last week’s match with Udinese, we encountered another side that defended well, and we found it a bit harder in the first half, but in the second we managed to create more chances. In the past few months, the team has made the step-up and our mental approach is making the difference. We are now playing with more confidence and that is down to us. Up next is Napoli, one of the in-form teams in the league, but we are ready and we have what it takes to make it hard for them.”

MATTIA DE SCIGLIO
“I am training hard so I can be in a position to give my best for the team. I am giving my all on and off the training pitch, working on everything, so I can be ready when I am called upon. I aim to give my absolute all whenever I am needed by the team. I now have to keep on this path, without putting pressure on myself, with peace of mind, doing what I know and also enjoying myself out on the pitch. Our goal is to qualify for Europe. We have to do everything possible to get back there. Let’s take things one game at a time though and try and claw back points on the teams above. It was vital to win today. It was a hard game too because Genoa always make life hard for opponents. Going to Euro 2016 would be a really great achievement, but it all passes through how I do at club level. If I play well here, the national team will come as a result.”

ADRIANO GALLIANI
“It’s been a long time since Honda was last on the score-sheet in Serie A. Bronzetti did so much for him and to help us bring a great player to the club. I forced myself to say it before, but he is an important and super player for the team. He brings the team balance. With him and Bonaventura in the side, there is a lot of balance. There were a lot of positive notes to come from today. Not just Honda, but also De Sciglio. I congratulated him and I asked him why he doesn’t always play like that. Plus, there was the return of Menez. Today the glass is half full. Antonelli was fantastic while Bacca has a real eye for goal. I had been following him in the past two years. I liked the look of him and I also like his former coach, Emery, who I feel is a top coach. But he won’t be coming to Milan though. Bacca is a fantastic player. Even Ancelotti spoke to me about him. Had Ancelotti stayed at Real Madrid, Bacca would have probably moved there. He has already netted 15 goals this season. We have collected 14 points in the second half of the season, compared to 9 at the start of the season. I would say that is pretty good. Romagnoli is just 21 and, all going to plan, he will be a first team regular for the coming years. Alex is a top defender. His quality is there to see and his career speaks for itself. His performances lately aren’t by chance. We have a good team and we are now having our say. This is a team that has to fight for third place. We are in no way inferior to the other teams battling for that goal. There are many routes into Europe this season. There is the Champions League via the league and the Europa League via the league or cup, providing we get past Alessandria. The players have always remained a very close knit group. They have always been behind the coach and they have stayed united in all situations. We are happy with the 14 points we have collected lately, it could have been more, but we will take it. Had we beaten Empoli and Udinese, we could have strung together an impressive winning run. Let’s keep battling and see how Fiorentina-Inter ends tonight. I will spend my Valentine’s evening watching that match. Transfer front? Nocerino will sign everything tomorrow while Locatelli will be part of the first team squad from tomorrow. Vangioni will join on July 1. We have all his physical, technical and mental data. He is very good pushing forward, not as strong at the back. He is excellent at getting forwards. Anything can happen but a manager has to evaluate what he has available. He has very good characteristics and he will come and strengthen our options in defence.”

SINISA MIHAJLOVIC (press conference)
“Balotelli took a knock, he was limping a bit, but it’s just a knock. In the first 6 matches, we collected just 9 points. We have now collected 14 points from the same amount of matches. Napoli? Higuain is a great player but it won’t be easy for Napoli to beat this Milan. The players are coming off the back of two difficult years, but as I have always said, it is down to us to bring the fans back to the stadium. Honda has been playing well for a while and he was just missing a goal. He had to take shots on goal today and I am happy for him. Niang wasn’t very happy when he was taken off but that’s normal, no one is ever happy when they are taken off.”

MILAN – The Rossoneri made a winning return on Sunday lunch-time thanks to a 2-1 victory at home to Genoa in round 25 of Serie A.

Milan came charging out of the blocks and after only four minutes Honda sent Perin into a flying save with a scorching strike from distance which the goalkeeper did well to palm out from the top corner.

Just one minute later and the Japanese star was involved again setting up Bacca at the far post and the Colombian striker made no mistakes to rifle the ball home at the far post.

Honda completed an all-action display by netting the team’s second on 64 minutes, collecting the ball from distance and firing a sweet left foot strike which swerved beyond the Genoa shot-stopper.

Montolivo was agonisingly close to adding a third only to send a volley from the edge of the area crashing against the post.

Cerci cut the gap in stoppages, but it was merely a consolation goal as Milan collected all 3 points and extended their unbeaten run in the league to seven. Here are all the stats meanwhile to emerge from the match:

10 – Bacca has scored in 12 Serie A games so far, and on 10 of those occasions, he has done it with his first shot on target.

483 – the number of days since Honda’s last league goal for Milan: October 19, 2014. On that occasion the opponents were Hellas and the Japanese star netted a brace in the team’s win at the Bentegodi.

29 April 2015 – the date of Jeremy Menez’s last appearance in Serie A for Milan before coming off the bench in the victory over Genoa on Sunday.

1 – by seeing off Genoa, the Rossoneri collected their first ever win in a lunch-time kick-off at home. In the other two, versus Bari in 2010/11 and Empoli 2014/15, the matches ended in draws.

SINISA MIHAJLOVIC
“Today we had to win and we have done that. We played well and we gave away very few chances. Matches have to be killed off though otherwise the result is always hanging in the balance. The team played well against a side that makes it hard for you and frustrates your play. We deserved to win. I only talk based on what I see out on the pitch. Looking at our rivals, we are in better shape than them at this moment in several areas. If we keep these performances going, and keep improving in front of goal, we will also be in the hunt for third place. We know that Napoli and Juventus are the two strongest teams. Napoli have incredible potential in attack with Higuain. But it won’t be easy for them facing us. It will be a great match and we will play our game as we always do. When the team is playing well, it is difficult to change. Abate and Antonelli have played well. I see De Sciglio as a starter and today he took his chance. This is the right attitude. Every time a player is called upon, he has to give his all. Like I said after the Frosinone match, if Honda continues to play like this, he will always play. In the past he and Montolivo were criticised. But they have shown that with work and sacrifices, you can turn jeers into cheers. I congratulate both of them. At Napoli we are going for the win, as I have always done in my career. Whoever doesn’t give their all for the entire match, won’t play.”

RICCARDO MONTOLIVO
“We had the right attitude today and we controlled the match. Like last week’s match with Udinese, we encountered another side that defended well, and we found it a bit harder in the first half, but in the second we managed to create more chances. In the past few months, the team has made the step-up and our mental approach is making the difference. We are now playing with more confidence and that is down to us. Up next is Napoli, one of the in-form teams in the league, but we are ready and we have what it takes to make it hard for them.”

MATTIA DE SCIGLIO
“I am training hard so I can be in a position to give my best for the team. I am giving my all on and off the training pitch, working on everything, so I can be ready when I am called upon. I aim to give my absolute all whenever I am needed by the team. I now have to keep on this path, without putting pressure on myself, with peace of mind, doing what I know and also enjoying myself out on the pitch. Our goal is to qualify for Europe. We have to do everything possible to get back there. Let’s take things one game at a time though and try and claw back points on the teams above. It was vital to win today. It was a hard game too because Genoa always make life hard for opponents. Going to Euro 2016 would be a really great achievement, but it all passes through how I do at club level. If I play well here, the national team will come as a result.”

ADRIANO GALLIANI
“It’s been a long time since Honda was last on the score-sheet in Serie A. Bronzetti did so much for him and to help us bring a great player to the club. I forced myself to say it before, but he is an important and super player for the team. He brings the team balance. With him and Bonaventura in the side, there is a lot of balance. There were a lot of positive notes to come from today. Not just Honda, but also De Sciglio. I congratulated him and I asked him why he doesn’t always play like that. Plus, there was the return of Menez. Today the glass is half full. Antonelli was fantastic while Bacca has a real eye for goal. I had been following him in the past two years. I liked the look of him and I also like his former coach, Emery, who I feel is a top coach. But he won’t be coming to Milan though. Bacca is a fantastic player. Even Ancelotti spoke to me about him. Had Ancelotti stayed at Real Madrid, Bacca would have probably moved there. He has already netted 15 goals this season. We have collected 14 points in the second half of the season, compared to 9 at the start of the season. I would say that is pretty good. Romagnoli is just 21 and, all going to plan, he will be a first team regular for the coming years. Alex is a top defender. His quality is there to see and his career speaks for itself. His performances lately aren’t by chance. We have a good team and we are now having our say. This is a team that has to fight for third place. We are in no way inferior to the other teams battling for that goal. There are many routes into Europe this season. There is the Champions League via the league and the Europa League via the league or cup, providing we get past Alessandria. The players have always remained a very close knit group. They have always been behind the coach and they have stayed united in all situations. We are happy with the 14 points we have collected lately, it could have been more, but we will take it. Had we beaten Empoli and Udinese, we could have strung together an impressive winning run. Let’s keep battling and see how Fiorentina-Inter ends tonight. I will spend my Valentine’s evening watching that match. Transfer front? Nocerino will sign everything tomorrow while Locatelli will be part of the first team squad from tomorrow. Vangioni will join on July 1. We have all his physical, technical and mental data. He is very good pushing forward, not as strong at the back. He is excellent at getting forwards. Anything can happen but a manager has to evaluate what he has available. He has very good characteristics and he will come and strengthen our options in defence.”

SINISA MIHAJLOVIC (press conference)
“Balotelli took a knock, he was limping a bit, but it’s just a knock. In the first 6 matches, we collected just 9 points. We have now collected 14 points from the same amount of matches. Napoli? Higuain is a great player but it won’t be easy for Napoli to beat this Milan. The players are coming off the back of two difficult years, but as I have always said, it is down to us to bring the fans back to the stadium. Honda has been playing well for a while and he was just missing a goal. He had to take shots on goal today and I am happy for him. Niang wasn’t very happy when he was taken off but that’s normal, no one is ever happy when they are taken off.”

MILAN – Chievo’s Cazzaniga cancelled out a first-half goal from Milan’s De Santis in a 1-1 draw between the two youth teams at the Vismara on Saturday afternoon.

The Rossoneri made a strong start to the contest and were presented with a great opportunity to break the deadlock after only 3 minutes, but Cutrone couldn’t keep his effort on target following a Vassallo cross.

Just four minutes later and Chievo’s Sbampato was given his marching orders after a foul on La Ferrara and denying him a clear goal scoring chance.

Milan thought they had found the opener shortly before the half hour mark only for Zanellato’s goal to be ruled out for offside.

The Rossoneri did eventually make their numerical advantage count and in first half stoppages, Felicioli set up De Santis who slotted the ball home to give Milan a 1-0 lead.

Milan controlled proceedings after the break, but on 67 minutes Chievo found the equaliser courtesy of Cazzaniga following a corner.

In the closing minutes, Milan were unlucky not to score a winner and had another goal disallowed for off-side, this time through Cutrone.

With this result, Cristian Brocchi’s side extend their unbeaten run to six league outings.