In all honesty, I was dreading waking up for this six o'clock in the morning game here. After the last two performances, with injuries piling up like Juve & Inter penalties, I was sure this was going to be the match that we broke our streak. But Leao was not going to let me be disappointed. Just 6.2 seconds in, he scored the fastest goal in Serie A history. And that was just the beginning. Milan controlled much of the match, and only conceded one goal, near the end. Instead of being left disappointed, we got instant gratification.
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| Defying all odds, even time itself |
If you were 30 seconds late to the feed, you missed it. Literally, from the kickoff, Leao ran and scored, destroying Sassuolo's mentality exactly 6.2 seconds in. 1-0 Milan. Calhanoglu had it in the back of the net from a brilliant Leao assist in the ninth minute, however after a lengthy VAR review, that was called back for offside.
That woke up Berardi, who tried a couple of shots, but it was Saelemaekers who got the next goal, from a Theo Hernandez assist. 2-0 Milan. This one was not called back, but rather the result of brilliant team play, and Sassuolo had a mountain to climb. They attempted their chances, but what Gigio didn't save, Romagnoli cleared.
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| Milan goals can come from anywhere, at any time |
Kessie, Calabria, and Romagnoli would all receive yellow cards, with Kessie's most significant, because he will be suspended for the Lazio game midweek. Tonali also took a knock in the first half and was subbed off at halftime, early reports are that he, too could have a muscle injury and be out for a while. Theo Hernandez also took a knock with a collision of heads in stoppage time, hopefully he is well, too.
What would have been the perfect match was marred only by the usual Berardi goal in the 89th minute, from a free kick. Worse that it was slightly deflected by the young Hauge, who turned and opened up the wall instead of sacrificing his face for the team. 2-1 Milan. Not a clean sheet, but still a convincing win and some learning experiences.
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| robbed. |
This match was so much better than I had expected. Three points, a spectacularly renewed mentality, much better football, and a very special goal from a very special player, Leao. Milan still top the Serie A table, still unbeaten in the league since the restart, and no signs whatsoever of giving up, despite so many injured starters. Now that is instant gratification.
This post inspired by the music of X Ambassadors' "BOOM"
Reviewed by Elaine
on
9:36 AM
Rating:
