Sergio Conceicao praised hosts Saudi Arabia after seeing his AC Milan side stage a remarkable comeback to claim the Italian Supercoppa over city rivals Inter 3-2 in Riyadh.
Inter, chasing a record-equaling fourth straight Supercoppa that would also see them tie Juventus' mark of nine, took a 2-0 lead through strikers Lautaro Martinez and Mehdi Taremi in first half injury time.
AC Milan then produced a turnaround for the ages. Firstly, Theo Hernandez curled in a free-kick from the edge of the penalty area in the 52nd minute before Christian Pulisic struck home from an angle with 10 minutes remaining.
Pulisic’s exquisite injury-time pass was then latched onto by substitute Rafael Leao to play in fellow sub Tammy Abraham to tap in from close range, sparking joyous scenes at Al Awwal Park.
The win meant Conceicao claimed his first trophy as AC Milan boss in only his second match since replacing fellow Portuguese Paulo Fonseca last week.
“It was not easy, especially the first half but I really believed in the signs the guys gave me during the week," Conceicao said.
"I changed just a few things, and they were good ones; I truly believe in my work and in my staff. We need to have the right mentality to change the rest of the season. I accepted Ac Milan and I’m happy. We have been hosted in a wonderful way in Saudi and I want to thank all the organisers and fans.”
The Milan players and staff celebrated with a visibly emotional Conceicao at the final whistle but the manager picked up an injury and needed treatment on the bench before rejoining his team.
"Emerson Royal made a red card tackle on me," Conceicao said with a laugh.
"I'm very happy for the players because it wasn't easy, we had little time to work on the details that were important to me.
"The credit is all theirs because they absorbed my indications. There is still a lot of work but with humility we can do well in the Champions League and in the league."
Leao, the AC Milan forward who played a key role in the comeback, said he hoped Monday's win would allow the Rossoneri to push on in the league where they sit eighth and eight points behind fourth-placed Lazio.
“I must thank the Saudi fans; they have been incredible. They created a beautiful vibe. Winning something with Milan is full of emotion. It’s a collective win, I also thank all of my teammates and the coach too. The coach brought a fresh mentality and new energy. We believed it till the end. This trophy is an opportunity to change the rest of the season.”
It was a bitter pill to swallow for Inter, who were looking to make it three Supercoppa wins in a row on Saudi soil. The match had echoes of September's league meeting at the San Siro when Inter lost the derby to a last-minute Matteo Gabbia goal.
“We reopened the game with our mistakes and Milan did a few strategic changes," said Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi. "We had to do something more in the last 20 minutes. We will go back with a defeat, but we will do better.
"We missed good players, but this is football at the end. Losing a derby is hard, but we will react positively and be ready as soon as possible for our following games.”
Federico DiMarco, the Inter Milan left wing-back, added: “A team like us can’t lose from 2-0. We did a few mistakes and congratulations to Milan. All defeats help us to improve. Losing the derby in a final is not easy, but we will improve and make it better. The team give everything, the opponent was strong.
"It’s the second time they have scored against us in the final minutes. We will wake up and get ready for the following games. We won the last three Supercups. Everything was beautiful, the vibes were good, but this time I can’t say I’m fully happy.”
