This match was not Milan’s best, which seems to be a
recurring theme for the past few games. But we did manage to win, which is what
will be remembered at the end of the season. That’s good, because Gattuso will
likely not want people to remember that he was sent off for losing his temper.
Rather, he would want people to remember how the boys went into the Bentegodi,
faced a very physical team, and stuck with it all 90 minutes to take home all
three points. Despite playing uninspiring football, at least their mentality
seems to be tempered.
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| Played by and won by a team |
Meggiorini started the match as a protagonist, taking the
first shot in the fifth minute. Milan had a few shots that all went wide, and
then Piatek introduced himself to Giaccherini in the 17th minute. But the match
changed drastically in the 30th minute, when Paqueta was fouled just outside
the top of the box, earning a free kick for Milan. This gave Biglia the
opportunity to make an ideal announcement to the world that he was back in the
starting lineup again with his exquisite free kick. 1-0 Milan.
Apparently, the free kick left Gattuso very emotional,
because just four minutes later, he was sent off. From what I can gather, he
mixed it up with Meggiorini and whatever he said or did got him sent to the
stands. We should know by midweek what the disciplinary committee think of the
ref’s report on the incident, and whether or not he will face a touchline ban
for the Derby. Meanwhile, on the pitch, our boys seemed a little shaken by the turn
of events, and Hatemaj took advantage of that in the 41st by scoring a goal for
Chievo to make it 1-1 all.
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| Welcome back, Biglia |
With a relentless effort from Piatek, he managed to finally
force another goal through in the 64th. 2-1 Milan. That effort saw him make a
bicycle kick attempt that was foiled by an incoming defender, who was on the
receiving end of Piatek’s attempt rather than the ball. The play was reviewed
by VAR and the goal stood, likely because the defender ran into him. Di Carlo
had a lot to say about that, though, calling it a “Kung Fu kick” (apparently he’s
never seen a bicycle kick?) and saying “If we had worn jerseys with different
colors, we would have won 3-0 tonight.” That’s not what the stats say, but
whatever. Tempers were flaring everywhere.
The subs were pretty good, I guess because Gattuso wasn’t on
the touchline. Calhanoglu came on for Paqueta in the 54th, who seemed very
tired (oh, the irony there.) Then Calabria on for Conti in the 64th, who is
also just coming back and seemed tired. Finally, Borini came on for Suso in the
84th. All subs relieved tired legs and two out of three of them were impact
subs, helping to strengthen the team on the pitch, plus Borini. I feel like
these are the kinds of subs we need to make through the end of the season to
prevent more injuries and hold on when we have the lead.
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| Celebrating tying for capocannoniere with Quagliarella and Ronaldo |
The changes to the starting lineup made a big difference,
especially defensively, which is a shame. But Gattuso rarely rotates, so it’s
not a shock, either. Milan are in third place going into the Derby, and they
showed a growing mentality once again in this match and the ability to recover
from conceding a goal and then pull off the win. It wasn’t pretty, and Gattuso
literally does not seem to be able to control his temper to save his life, but
the team managed to win in spite of it all. Perhaps the team are becoming
tempered after all.
This match inspired by the music of X
Ambassadors’ “Unsteady”
Our next match is
il Derby della Madonnina
Milan vs. Inter
Sunday, March 17 •
20:30 CET (3:30pm EST)*
*Note the time
change due to U.S. Daylight Savings Time