After the midweek nightmare against SPAL, Milan fans fairly called for a reaction. And Milan absolutely complied. Without the high-flying Immobile and Caicedo, Lazio struggled to play their game. Milan took all three points from the second place team. The Eagles have landed.
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| Kessie: "Daddy's home!" |
This one started with Kjaer taking a direct free kick to the head, which was not the way I wanted us to welcome back our Viking defender from his knee injury. After another Lazio free kick, in which Milinkovic-Savic’s shot was deflected then saved by Gigio, Calhanoglu decided to show Lazio how it was done. He sent the ball powerfully in, so even though it deflected slightly off a defender, it went arcing beautifully over Strakosha and into the back of the net. 1-0 Milan.
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| Yes, thank you. May I have another? |
Ibrahimovic had a goal called back for offside in the 31st, but two minutes later, Lazio were called for a handball and Milan were given a penalty, as confirmed by the VAR booth. Ibrahimovic took the penalty, and although Strakosha got to it, Ibrahimovic’s sheer will power saw it continue beneath him and into the back of the net. 2-0 Milan.
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| Willpower. |
Calhanoglu had to be subbed off for Paquetá before the half because of injury, but as of this writing, it is supposedly only a bruise on his calf. Ibrahimovic was also subbed off at the half, I’m assuming to save him for upcoming matches. But it was just as well, because after Bonaventura had a couple of great chances, Rebic came in and sealed the match with a great goal in the 59th. 3-0 Milan.
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| Just like that. |
Rebic also dazzled with some mad skills in the 75th, including nutmegging a Lazio player. Theo Hernandez had a couple of runs with great chances that he unfortunately missed. And Romagnoli had a great tackle on Jordan Lukaku in the 70th as well. Even if Lazzari did score a goal in the 53rd, like Ibrahimovic’s, it was called back for offside. Milan looked strong and played well throughout most of the match.
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| I think it's the hair. |
The stats show a much different story than the score. Milan had 52% possession, with eight shots, five on target. Lazio also had eight shots, but only two on target, and that is where the stats show the biggest difference. However, Milan’s confidence was probably the biggest factor, besides Lazio missing Immobile, their Serie A scoring leader.
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| How to take down an eagle |
At the end of the match, not only did Milan take three points from the Scudetto contenders, we kept a clean sheet as well. That puts us in a better position for Europa League qualification, too. This was such an important win for us as we face Juventus on Tuesday. A confidence boost, a clean sheet, and moving up the table. Also, the Eagles have landed.
This post inspired by the music of The Foo Fighters’ “Learn to Fly”
Our next match is
Serie A Week 31
Milan vs. Juventus
Tuesday, July 7 • 21:45 CEST (3:45pm EDT)