Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi jumped to the support of goalkeeper Ionut Radu after his incredible mistake led to a 2-1 defeat to Bologna and ensured the defending champions missed the chance to move top of Serie A.
With the score at 1-1 entering the final nine minutes of the match at Renato Dall'Ara, Radu completely mistimed an attempted clearance and hooked the ball towards his own net, allowing Nicola Sansone to tap in a goal which hands the advantage in the title race to AC Milan, who lead their rivals by two points with four matches to play.
The Romanian left the field distraught after his first league match of the season ended in humiliation following an error which could fatally damage Inter's Scudetto defence.
"It was an unfortunate mistake, but these things happen," Inzaghi said. "Radu is an excellent goalkeeper with a bright future ahead of him."
Defeat for Inzaghi's side, who had taken the lead in the third minute through Ivan Perisic before Marko Arnaoutovic levelled midway through the first half, could be crucial to the race for the title as Wednesday's match was Inter's game in hand on their local rivals.
Further pushing the race in Milan's favour is the superior record Stefano Pioli's side have in this season's two league derbies, as head-to-head decides the placings of teams locked on the same points.
"We've got to keep our heads. We've had a tough blow but you saw how Bologna played today, every game is going to be difficult and two points is a gap that we can make up," Inzaghi said.
"We have to keep going with our heads held high because we still have a chance."
Earlier, Fiorentina's hopes of a return to European football were hit after they fell to a 4-0 home hammering at the hands of Udinese.
Vincenzo Italiano's side would have moved into fifth and the division's Europa League spot had they won.
However first-half goals from Pablo Mari – his first in Serie A – and Gerard Deulofeu set up the 12th-placed away side for a thumping victory which was sealed with stoppage-time goals from Walace and Destiny Udogie.
Fiorentina sit seventh and outside the European places after the heavy defeat, two points behind Roma and level with Lazio who hold the Europa Conference League place, as they seek continental competition for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
They stay seventh thanks to a 4-4 draw between Atalanta, in eighth, and Torino which featured four penalties and an own goal.
