Milan players fight among themselves during loss to Inter

AC Milan's lack of unity on the field was plainly reflected off it when two players almost came to blows on the bench.

Franck Kessie was visibly upset after being replaced by Andrea Conti in the 69th minute of Sunday's 3-2 derby loss to Inter Milan. The Ivory Coast international then grew even angrier and had to be held back by his teammates after Lucas Biglia said something to him.

Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso said he was disappointed by the incident but managed to crack a small joke after the match.

AC Milan's Franck Kessie, left, fights for the ball with Inter Milan's Matias Vecino during a Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Inter Milan, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, March 17, 2019. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

"Luckily I didn't see it because I was focused on the match, otherwise I would have probably thrown myself in the mix, too," said Gattuso, who was known as a tough, no-nonsense defender during his playing days.

"We lost on the field as well as off it," he said. "This hurt me because it means that someone hasn't understood what I believe in. For me, it's a big defeat on a professional level."

Kessie and Biglia both spoke to the media after the match and publicly apologized.

Inter Milan players celebrate end of the Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Inter Milan, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, March 17, 2019. Inter Milan won 3-2. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

"I got it wrong because I should have understood the situation after he was replaced," Biglia said. "I wanted him to understand that what he did wasn't the right thing as it pertained to his teammate coming on. We've cleared things up and have talked in the changing room.

"I am sorry to the fans, the club, my teammates and the coach ... It was a bad moment, and now we have to look ahead."

It's not clear what Biglia said to Kessie, but the Ivorian also expressed regret for the incident.

AC Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso shouts out from the touchline during a Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Inter Milan, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, March 17, 2019. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

"I apologize to Lucas," Kessie said. "He's older than me, and I apologize also to the fans and the coach."

Milan had been favored to win the match after a run of five straight league victories but there was little evidence of the good play on display on Sunday. The team appeared strangely disjointed, and top scorer Krzysztof Piatek received hardly any service during the match.

Milan's defense, which has been so resilient of late, also looked shaky with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and captain Alessio Romagnoli to blame for Inter's first goal in the third minute.

Inter Milan's Matias Vecino, left, scores his side's opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and AC Milan at the Milan San Siro Stadium, Italy, Sunday, March 17, 2019. (Matteo BazziANSA via AP)

The three goals Milan conceded were as many as it had allowed in its previous 10 matches.

Inter moved third in the Serie A standings, two points above Milan and six ahead of fifth-place Roma. The top four teams qualify for next season's Champions League.

OSPINA RELIEF

AC Milan's Alessio Romagnoli, right, clears the ball in front Inter Milan's Matias Vecino during a Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Inter Milan, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, March 17, 2019. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina is expected to be released from the hospital soon after being kept under observation following a head injury.

Ospina collapsed on the field during a Serie A match on Sunday.

The Colombia international is reportedly in good spirits and was visited by Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti on Monday.

Ospina was called up for Colombia's upcoming friendlies against Japan and South Korea but will now remain in Naples.

Ospina injured his head in a collision with Udinese forward Ignacio Pussetto during the opening minutes of the match but insisted he was fine to continue. However, he fell to the ground about 40 minutes later at the Stadio San Paolo.

The 30-year-old Ospina was stretchered off the field and immediately taken to the hospital.

Napoli beat Udinese 4-2.

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/apf-Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Postal officials unveiled a commemorative stamp of boxing legend Muhammad Ali in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, on Thursday, featuring a photo of the champ in his fighting prime.

The Postal Service printed 22 million of the Ali stamps, which feature an Associated Press photo from 1974 showing the fighter holding up his gloves in a fighting stance. His last name, in bold black and red all-cap lettering, accents the stamp.

“We honor Muhammad Ali here in his hometown, a city that shaped him and that he reshaped forever,” said longtime broadcaster Bob Costas, who hosted the unveiling event.

The champ's friends and family gathered to celebrate the issuance of the stamp, which went on sale Thursday.

“This stamp will travel millions of miles, it will pass through countless hands, but it will quietly remind the world of a man who dared to believe that kindness could be powerful and that being in service to others could be heroic,” said his widow, Lonnie Ali.

The outspoken three-time heavyweight champ mesmerized the world with his brash poetry and personality. He stayed in the spotlight in his post-fighting days by continuing his philanthropy and support of human rights issues. In his boxing days, Ali once quipped that he should be on a postage stamp because “that’s the only way I’ll ever get licked.”

The Forever Stamps come with a stamp sheet that also features a photo of Ali posing in a pinstripe suit, a recognition of his work as an activist and humanitarian.

Born Cassius Clay Jr., Ali, who changed his name after converting to Islam, died in 2016 at the age of 74 after living with Parkinson’s disease for more than three decades. He is buried in Louisville.

During his lifetime and posthumously, the man known as The Greatest has received numerous awards, including an Olympic gold medal in 1960, the United Nations Messenger of Peace award in 1998, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.

Commemorative stamps featuring boxing legend Muhammad Ali are purchased after the stamp was unveiled by the U.S. Postal Service in Louisville, Ky., on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Dylan Lovan)

Lonnie Ali, widow of Muhammad Ali, speaks at an unveiling of a U.S. Postal Service commemorative stamp of the boxing legend in Louisville, Ky., on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Dylan Lovan)