There
were over 65,000 fans in the stadium. The Curva prepared a lovely coreo that
read “My heart is sad when far from you.” And Montella lined up a starting 11
without Montolivo or Borini. All of the hype, all of the hope, all of the money
spent this summer were resting on this game, the first home game with the new
squad. And the first European game Milan have played at the San Siro in over 3
years, even if it was just a qualifier. It was bound to be brilliant or an epic
fail, but not likely anything in between.
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| Oil on canvas by Giacomo Bonaventura |
The team
decided to show early on that it was going to be brilliant when Kessie and Cutrone connected well but could not score in only the second minute. Then
Kessie put a screamer into the back of the net in the 6th minute, only to have
the goal called back for offside. Such a shame. That one took my breath away.
But fans didn’t have to wait long, as Bonaventura scored in the ninth minute to
bring the score to 1-0 Milan, 2-0 on aggregate. So great to see him back and
scoring his first European goal. The celebration scenes were indeed like a work
of art.
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| The Curva did what they do best |
This match was also Donnarumma’s first match in front of the fans who abused and threatened to kill him. Imagine their relief when, in the 20th minute, he had a gargantuan save one on one with Mitrita. Good thing no one killed him, that was a save of exquisite beauty. He was solid as a rock tonight, what maturity from someone so young.
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| Survivor and savior |
Kessie
was a beast. Conti might be an alien, what an amazing performance Suso… I
missed him so much. He was just epic in this match. He played so well last
season, but putting him with even better players, he just raised the bar even
higher. Rodriguez has already had some goals saved in preseason that would have
made a top five goals of the week list, and free kicks that make your toes
curl, too. He has just been a revelation. Well except for that elbow in the
45th. A deserved yellow for that one.
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| His goal criminally called back |
The
second half kicked off with a Cutrone goal in the 51st resulting from a
Rodriguez free kick. 2-0 Milan, 3-0 on aggregate. That kid is more than just hungry
for goals, he is at one with the back of the net. So amazing. Kind of wonder
sometimes why we are still shopping for another striker.
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| Wonder if Cutrone means "grinta" in Italian? |
Not sure
if the team took their foot off the gas for the second half, or if it was about
the heat and the substitutions, but they did take it down a notch or two.
Zapata got his random yellow card out of the way, and Calanoglu came on for
Suso in the 65th. Good to see both of them getting fit again after their
respective ban and injury. André Silva, who had a slight foot injury, replaced
Cutrone, who was cramping up, in the 71st. And despite being spared any Montolivo
minutes, we did endure nine minutes of Borini, aka the most fit Milan player in
years.
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| A deserved win, with room to grow |
I was
disappointed that in the 67th, after a foul called against Milan, that the
players swarmed the ref. We need a proper captain out there and fast. Which
brings up the Bonucci and Biglia issue again. After learning last week that
Milan were struggling to get the bonds they needed to secure the two players,
ahead of the match we learned that a bank that is also Milan’s sponsor refused
to secure the bonds as well. With only eight days left to find the financing,
Milan are under the gun, or the players will not be able to play.
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| It's not fake news if they really can't play |
Fassone
tried to calm the fans down and mentioned that no other clubs have deposited
their bonds, either. But he failed to point out that other teams are not being
refused, either, least of all by banks which sponsor them. Other teams don’t
have a debt ratio that prevents Italian banks financing the bonds, and other
teams aren’t already playing competitive matches. Oddly, no one is talking
about the fact that after a Kardashian-level spending spree, Milan have not
spent a penny for players they claim they want. Is that also due to their debts,
inability to finance, and dwindling cash? Or just a really obtuse coincidence? (please send hate Tweets directly to
@TwitterAbuse and just block yourself, it will save me a lot of time. Thanks.)
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| The Curva honored them with a banner saying they were the most important signings of the season |
Despite
the telltale financial cracks in the exquisite vase that this new Milan has
sculpted, this match was amazing. A great improvement from last week in Romania
and so refreshing. Some of the best football I’ve seen Milan play in a long
time, even if there was also still plenty of room for improvement. Just
exciting to think what lies ahead of us with all of this brilliant new talent (and
Borini.) And now tomorrow we find out our opponent for the fourth qualifying
round of the Europa League. But tonight, we enjoy the delicious win, the
incredible fans, the brilliant coreo, and Montolivo’s armband-free perch on the
bench. For all of those reasons and more, it was picture perfect.
This post inspired
by the music of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”
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Stay tuned for the Europa League Fourth Qualifying Round
Draw to learn our next opponent