On paper,
an early penalty cut Crotone down to ten men and they conceded three goals in
the first 25 minutes. But as is always the case, there was much more to see
than that. And Crotone fought hard throughout the match, all credit to them.
But in the end, Milan had shark for dinner.
 |
| Three goals, three points, and a win to start the season |
In the
third minute, Cutrone was taken down in the box. Originally, Mariani showed
Faraoni a yellow card. But after much swarming from both sides, he drew the
magic VAR box and reviewed the play using video. After seeing the replays, he
rightfully handed Ceccherini a red card and awarded Milan a penalty. Which
Kessie converted like a boss. 1-0 Milan. Nice to be on the good side of VAR for
once.
In the
18th minute, Suso sent a ball in and Cutrone brilliantly headed it in for a 2-0
lead. Although we almost had a Storari Special™ in the celebrations. Then, in
the 23rd, Suso scored a goal with a Cutrone assist to make it 3-0. So nice that
they took turns. But seriously, loved their teamwork on the night. Great to
watch.
 |
| Montella said after the match Cutrone will stay with the team, and with good reason |
There
were a few yellow cards. Like Cutrone’s in the 9th minute or Locatelli’s in the
59th. Credit to Locatelli, though, he took down two Crotone players in one
tackle. If you’re gonna get a card, that’s the way to do it. Bonucci also
earned a yellow in the 69th. But on the flip side, his leadership was
invaluable throughout. Like in the 15th when Conti was upset and Bonucci just
put his arm around him, walked him away from Mariani, and calmed him down. So
great to have a real captain again.
Milan’s
defense and especially Donnarumma will remember the name Budimir. The young
Croatian troubled Milan throughout the night and had some bad luck, too. It’s
not like Crotone let being on ten men destroy their mentality. It really makes
me wonder, if they’d had 11 men for the whole match, would the result have been
the same?
 |
| Like the Atlas of our midfield, Kessie continues to impress |
But the
most exciting thing for me was watching this team really becoming a team. I
mean they still have such a long way to go. But even with the rotations necessary
for Europa League matches, there are understandings being built amongst all of
them. I can’t help but think how happy Montella must be to have players who can
actually execute his tactical ideas. And it should only get better and better
from here.
In the
end, perhaps the sending off determined the game, but it was still a game worth
watching. I like to believe that Milan would have found a way to win
regardless, but in all honesty, their performances have yet to consistently
impress. Still, we lost a friendly with the transparency of VAR, now we’ve won
when it counts thanks to the transparency of VAR. Three points and a great way
to kick off the season. Now we can have some shark for dinner.
This post inspired
by the music of John Williams’ ‘Theme (from “Jaws”)’
Our next match is
Europa League
Playoff
KF Shkëndija vs. AC
Milan
Thursday, August 24
• 20:45 CEST (2:45pm EDT)