The Rossoneri were put to the sword 3-0 at home by Christophe Galtier’s men at the San Siro thanks to Turkey forward Yusuf Yazici’s hat-trick.
AC Milan had been unbeaten in 24 games since a 2-1 Serie A defeat to Genoa in March, but were outclassed and outwitted by the Frenchmen.
Despite admitting his men played against a very strong team, Pioli insisted the Milanese club made life difficult for themselves against Lille.
“We were up against a strong team and we made life difficult for ourselves. We hadn’t started badly, but I thought we’d be more dangerous in attack and we weren’t able to create enough chances,” the Italian coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“With such a strong counter-attacking side, once we went behind, inevitably it opened up spaces and that played into their hands.
“We evaluate the positives and negatives, as always. For the first time in a long while, we have more negatives than positives to look at. We weren’t ourselves and made mistakes in the wrong game, because Lille are a team who will take advantage of those errors.
“I am the coach of this team, I experienced the build-up to this match and I can assure you we did not underestimate anyone. We didn’t lose sight of the right attitude either. It’s just an off day and we will learn from it.
“This is a young squad, but also a mature one that will know how to react to difficulties.”
AC Milan will hope to get back to winning ways when they entertain Hellas Verona at the San Siro in Serie A on Sunday.
