AC Milan’s Kaká felt his sides defeat to Atlético Madrid could have been so different had his first half shot not hit the crossbar and instead found the back of the net.
Milan’s captain for the Champions League last-16 tie nearly opened the scoring in the 15th minute but struck the bar with a curling effort from outside the area. He told UEFA.com that had the Rossoneri taken their chances the match would have been so different.
Kaká said: "When I hit the bar in the first half? In that moment, I saw the ball connect really well so I thought it was going in.
"Instead it hit the bar and soon after [Andrea] Poli"s header struck the post as well. If we had scored from one of those occasions, the match would have been different."
Milan didn’t score in the first half and throughout the 1-0 defeat largely thanks to some excellent keeping from Atlético’s Thibaut Courtious, on loan from Chelsea.
The Brazilian attacker praised the Belgium keeper and revealed his admiration for the Spanish side.
"[Courtois] is an excellent goalkeeper and Atlético are a very strong team," conceded Kaká.
"They are doing extremely well in the Spanish Liga, they are top alongside two extraordinary teams in Barcelona and Real Madrid. So they have proved they are a quality side."
