Serra was reportedly in a 'state of shock' after the match
Referee Marco Serra was reduced to tears after his costly mistake denied AC Milan a crucial goal as Stefano Pioli's side fell to a shock defeat to Spezia.
With just minutes remaining on the clock, and the game perfectly poised at 1-1, Ante Rebic delivered a superb pass through to Junior Messias inside Spezia's penalty area. The pass received the finish it deserved as Messias curled the ball into the net - only for
referee Serra to blow his whistle for a foul on Rebic.
Milan's players were furious with the decision, immediately swarming the referee - who put his hands in the air to apologise for his mistake.
To make things worse, for both Pioli's men and the referee, the away side went up the other end to score a 96th-minute winner to prevent Milan from overtaking city rivals Inter Milan at the top of Serie A.
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According to
Gazzetta dello Sport, Serra is facing a 'lengthy suspension' for his performance at the San Siro, with the chiefs of the referee association (AIA) apologising to Milan for his mistake - also pointing out how Serra made other several errors throughout the fixture.
However, the Italian official - who is just 39 years old - was so disappointed with his performance that he was in tears after the match in the dressing room, with
Corriere della Sera reporting that he was in a 'state of shock' following the match.
It adds that Zlatan Ibrahimovic and 'four or five' other Milan players consoled him in the tunnel, rather than slamming him for his costly mistake - with the veteran striker reportedly telling him that 'mistakes happen'.
The defeat prevented Milan from going top of the Serie A table, with the Italian giants remaining two points behind leaders Inter Milan, who have a game in hand.
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