Pavlovic penalty spot sabotage: De Rossi expected ‘different attitude’ from Milan players | OneFootball

Daniele De Rossi expected a ‘different attitude’ from Milan players before Nicolae Stanciu’s penalty miss on Thursday, but the Genoa midfielder didn’t fail because of the little hole Strahinja Pavlovic had dug.

Genoa held Milan to a 1-1 draw at San Siro just two days ago, but the Grifone somehow returned home with regrets as Romanian midfielder Stanciu missed a penalty kick in the stoppages.

De Rossi comments on Pavlovic’s penalty spot sabotage

MILAN, ITALY – JANUARY 08: Nicolae Stanciu of Genoa misses from the penalty spot during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Genoa CFC at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on January 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

His mistake caused outrage in Italy as Milan defender Pavlovic was seen sabotaging the penalty spot before Stanciu’s attempt.

“The referee should do something more. I told him, and he replied that he had booked him [Pavlovic]. But it’s not enough,” Genoa coach De Rossi said at a press conference on Saturday, via TMW.

“I think you can’t take a penalty kick three minutes and 50 seconds after it was awarded and confirmed a few seconds later. Stanciu didn’t miss the penalty because of the hole. I also missed a penalty in Manchester and there was no hole there.

De Rossi: ‘Genoa not the village idiots’

GENOA, ITALY – NOVEMBER 29: Daniele De Rossi, head coach of Genoa, looks on prior to kick-off in the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and Hellas Verona FC at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

“I didn’t like the attitude,” De Rossi continued.

“Milan players said they wanted to win, so they tried anything, but given the shirt’s weight, I’d expect a different attitude. The referee did well, there was a far west at that moment and we only pointed it out. Milan are a big club, San Siro is a big stadium, but we are not the ‘village idiots.'”

Genoa will host Cagliari at the Stadio Ferraris next Monday.

The Grifone sit 17th in the Serie A table, just three points above the relegation zone. They have only earned two points in the last five league matches.

Milan, on the other hand, are unbeaten in Serie A since August and will visit Fiorentina in their next Serie A match on Sunday, January 11.