The pressure on this young team is growing the more results they find. Combine that with the fact that some of our most important and experienced starters are being taken from us, one by one, to injury, and you have a recipe for disaster. Which is basically what this game was, a disaster. You know it was a poor performance when someone like Destro scores a brace on you. Sure, Milan fought back to keep a point, but clearly, mentally and physically, this team is running on fumes.
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| Even the celebrations were subdued |
The first half was truly dreadful. Each team picked up a yellow card, and each team had about one dangerous chance. Genoa's was from Destro, who sent it across the face of goal and left it just wide. Two minutes later, Rebic forced Perin into a big save with probably his best chance on the night, and that was truly about all that happened in the first half. Personally, I blame the hideous coronavirus kits, we always struggle when we play in them.
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| The scoreline cannot possibly show how invaluable this man is |
The second half started off with a lot more excitement. Gigio was forced into a big save just two minutes in, and Destro scored on the rebound. 1-0 Genoa. The creepiest part was that not only did he celebrate against a former club, he resurrected a celebration he had at the beginning of his career, at Siena. He ran over to the corner flag and rubbed his body against it, as if dancing... or something. It was super creepy then, and hasn't gotten any less creepy, as when you put your legs on either side of a pole and rub your body against it... it becomes rather obscene. It got creepier when he followed it up with the rocking baby celebration, as if he was trying to teach us about how babies were made. Disgusting. Even the cameras zoomed up away from his body parts making contact with the pole.
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| Assaulting the pole then... and now |
To wash those horrific scenes from our eyes, five minutes later, from a Calhanoglu assist, Calabria sent a rocket screaming into the back of the net to equalize. 1-1 all. Game on. Castillejo got a yellow card for something around the time between the goal and being subbed off, it wasn't shown because of the replay. Pioli brought Saelemaekers and Hauge on in the 53rd to replace he and Rebic, which did improve our play quite a bit. Despite the better playing style, Destro scored a devastating header in the 60th to put Genoa back up, 2-1.
It seemed bleak for much of the game, and Milan took 13 shots in all, with only four on target. Hauge had one of those shots that was deflected just wide, and Calhanoglu had a great shot that was blocked and sent over the top of goal. Then, the most unlikely of heroes, Kalulu, equalized in the 83rd to salvage the point, 2-2. It is noteworthy that the young right back-playing-as-a-center-back was where Kjaer or even Gabbia would have blocked both of Destro's goals, so this goal certainly helped to redeem his performance a bit.
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| The hardworking Calabria got his goal |
Leao saw yellow for trying to get the ball back into play a little too forcefully, and unfortunately, that was his most memorable contribution in this match. The 87th minute saw Calhanoglu's free kick deflected, then two minutes later, Scamacca tried an impressively acrobatic shot that forced Gigio into an even better save. Then it was full time, and Milan's exhausted performance, minus four important starters, had managed to salvage our unbeaten streak and a point by a performance that was just barely enough against the 19th placed team. With Inter's penalty win vs. Napoli, that leaves us with only a one point margin against our hated cugini.
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| Kalulu with a goal to save the day... from himself |
Ibrahimovic was supposed to have made his much needed return in this match, and it was hoped that we would have our Viking defender back in Kjaer as well. However, we missed both terribly, and we can only hope with bated breath that they will be able to face Sassuolo on Sunday, a much more difficult opponent in much better form. The pressure is on, but Milan are still the only European team unbeaten in their league since the restart of football this summer. Only this team are also just running on fumes.
This post inspired by the music of Garbage's "Empty"