After a
season of surprising ups mixed with expected downs, and even with securing
Europa League qualifying last week, it wasn’t much of a surprise that Milan
checked out of this match. A big part of it was injuries, but mentality has
been weak for some time, and with nothing to play for, it’s no wonder they
didn’t play very hard. I’m not sure you could quite say that Milan came into
this season like a lion, but it’s easy to say they went out like a lamb.
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| Thank you, Captain Ninja, for 3.5 years of dedication to Milan |
Borriello
tested his Milan ex powers in the first minute with a diving header that was
wide. Then Ionita hit the crossbar in the sixth minute before Joao Pedro scored
in the 17th. 1-0 Cagliari. Because not only were they playing their last match
in their stadium, they could actually improve their position on the table with
a win.
Milan
woke up a bit, and it took Goal Line Technology (GLT) to prove that Crosta did
save on Bacca in the 20th, a bit unlucky. Then a Donnarumma massive save in the
26th. And then came the injuries. First Suso, who was subbed off for Ocampos in
the 30th (also known as the
answer for everything.) Then Cagliari lost Murru to injury and Miangue
was subbed on for him in the 34th. After Joao Pedro’s yellow for a studs up
challenge in the 42nd, it seemed more like a match where injuries would be the
theme.
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| Thanks, but no thanks, Ocampos. I think Genoa want you back |
But the second half determined that discipline and a couple of more goals would win the day. It started with Montella making a gutsy second substitution at halftime, bringing Lapadula on for Vangioni. And that would pay dividends within ten minutes, as Lapadula would clear a Bacca shot. That’s right, Lapadula defended against his own team. It’s obviously time for a vacation.
In
addition to the parade of cards from Abisso, Milan were awarded two penalties.
The first in the 62nd, and Bacca took the shot, but it was saved by the young
Crosta. Yellow cards for Gomez and then Paletta, then in the 71st another penalty
for Milan. So Lapadula took it in the 72nd and converted it to make it 1-1 all.
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| Lapadula shows Bacca how to convert a penalty |
I don’t
know what other records Milan will take away from this season, but Paletta
decided to tie the all-time Serie A record for red cards in a single season
when he earned a second yellow in the 75th to be sent off. That made five red
cards for him in a single season. Five. Last year the whole team only had three
for the whole season. That is truly impressive. So Zapata was subbed on for
Bacca, a Colombian for a Colombian, and Milan were on ten men for the rest of
the match. Which included five minutes of stoppage time, during which Pisacane
scored the winning goal on a rebound of a free kick by Joao Pedro in the 90th
+3. 2-1 Cagliari.
And that
was it. Like a lamb, we bowed out to a team that kind of had something to play
for. And they achieved it, too. Going into the match they were in 13th place,
with today’s results, they got to 11th on the table. Bravo Cagliari. Bravo to
Montella for giving Honda the armband in what we know was his final match for
Milan. We also know Deulofeu is gone, although he wasn’t able to play due to
injury. We did not get to see a Bonaventura appearance today, coming back from
injury, because Montella’s subs were mainly forced by injuries. Which is
ironic, because despite a stronger mentality overall than we’ve seen in a long
while and winning the Supercoppa in December, injuries and a lack of depth on
our bench really crippled us this season.
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| Any doubts about Mister Fancy Pants' future should be absolved by all of the cool free clothes he gets from Diesel |
Overall,
though, we played much better than expected this season. And securing a sixth
place finish is more than we could have hoped for after basically being frozen
out of the last two transfer markets. So despite the fact that we all want wins
and glory every time, the season was an improvement overall. Even if we played
a poor final match and went out like a lamb.
This post inspired by the music of
The Cure’s “End”
What can be said more than has
already been said, other than Ciao, Totti. Thanks for your amazing talent,
leadership, and devotion to a single club for 28 years. You’ve left an imprint
on the hearts of rival fans everywhere, but you will always be the King of
Rome. In bocca al lupo!
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| Grazie Totti |