This was a match that every other time in the past year,
Milan would have lost. Every time. But not today. Maldini and Boban have shown
that their initial plan of having a young, talented team complimented with a
few more experienced players was exactly what was needed to stop the mental nose
dive that Milan has been in for so long and create meaningful, memorable
football. The kind of match that is simply intoxicating.
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| Intoxicating |
The first half started quite badly, as Gigio made a massive
error in the sixth minute, coming off of his line and crashing into Lasagna,
only to allow Stryger-Larsen to send the ball straight into an open net. 1-0
Udinese. The entire first half, Milan played fairly deflated, with Udinese
deservedly encouraged. It was the kind of half we have sadly grown used to, especially with these early games.
At the half, Pioli did something only a coach as experienced
as himself would do: he subbed Bonaventura off and brought on Rebic. People
forget that we have a player who played in the last World Cup Final, as he had
failed to impress much so far this season. That worked out really well for us,
as Udinese were also caught off guard in the 48th minute as Conti put in a
perfect cross for the Croatian, who slotted home the equalizer. 1-1 all. That
was Rebic’s first goal for Milan.
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| That's how a World Cup Runner up medalist does it |
That energized the crowd and opened up the game. Gigio made
sure that he made up for his error with some spectacular saves, while Milan
repeatedly tested Musso at the other end. It was intoxicating.
Milan have also been missing some of those truly special
moments, especially the kind of goals that young kids would want to try to
emulate. Theo Hernandez scored one of those in the 71st, when the ball was
rebounded out from a corner, and he just took it on the volley from distance and
put it screaming past Musso to the delight of a packed San Siro. 2-1 Milan. His
“Slip n Slide” style celebration was equally brilliant, and his teammates piled ecstatically on top of him to celebrate with him.
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| How else would you celebrate a goal like that? |
However in the 85th, Donarumma, with it being the lunchtime
game and all, apparently decided he wanted another serving of Lasagna, as this time, the
Udinese striker headed it past him for the second equalizer. 2-2 all. Milan
fans felt punched in the stomach, but Udinese were going crazy.
This is the part where Ibrahimovic came up big. He had
already had an increasing number of chances in the latter part of the game,
helping to drag the team’s mentality along and keep Musso very busy. At a point where the rest of the
team would have given up, he fought harder, and kept Milan in the game to the bitter
end. That end was the 93rd minute, when he himself provided the assist for
Rebic’s second Milan goal, and second on the night. 3-2. Milan had won. Somehow, on the shoulders of experience, we had won. The San Siro almost literally exploded, it was so incredibly intoxicating.
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| Double win |
Maldini and Boban were reportedly on the sidelines at the
end of the game, and Boban gave his fellow Croatian, the hero Rebic, an
especially touching embrace. This is the kind of game Milan would have
traditionally lost. But we won. Despite being a troublesome lunchtime match, in
front of an Ibrahimovic-inspired packed San Siro, we did it. Maybe all of the
criticism people have had of this management was premature, because that kind
of play, those goals, that kind of win… were simply intoxicating.
This post inspired by the music of Queen's "We Will Rock You"
Our next match is
Serie A Week 21
Brescia vs. Milan
Friday, January 24
• 20:45 CET (2:45pm EST)