Abate: we were 'lucky' to escape with a win

The defender says his side were fortunate to bag their first victory of this season's competition after two second half goals made up for a lacklustre first period.AC Milan full-back Ignazio Abate has hailed his sides’ second half effort against Czech club Viktoria Plzen, admitting his team were lucky to come away with a 2-0 victory in the Champions League on Wednesday.The first half of the Group H match-up saw both sides return to the dressing room scoreless. However, a 53rd minute penalty from Zlatan Ibrahimovich and a 66th minute Antonio Cassano strike saw Milan streak ahead by two goals to capture their first win in Europe this season.Speaking to the press after the game, Abate commented: “We didn’t do well in the first half because we played too straight up the pitch.“We did well to score but we gave them too many chances to stay in the game," he added.Switching the focus to Serie A, the 24-year-old warned that his side cannot afford any more slip-ups when they visit pace-setters Juventus on Sunday in a mouth-watering showdown.“In the league, we can’t afford to get cut off from the teams ahead of us and when we’re back to full strength we can get back up there.”The win over Viktoria leaves Milan in second position in Group H with four points, levelled with Barcelona who lead the standings with a superior goal difference.