Milan won. At home. With a clean sheet, too. Will miracles never cease? I think it was Pippo Inzaghi who brought us luck, even though his team were unlucky. Even if Benevento are at risk of relegation, they played with a winning mentality, and their goalkeeper, Montipó, had a Man of the Match performance. In the end, Milan got the three points we needed for our crucial battle for a top four spot. Ahead of the other teams' games tomorrow, at least for tonight, Milan are in second place again. Sorry, Pippo.
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| Ibrahimovic puts his stamp of approval on the performance |
Theo Hernandez was down within the first 20 seconds or so, and actually required treatment. It was one of those kinds of games. But it didn't take long for a great Calhanoglu goal, assisted by Saelemaekers. 1-0 Milan. Benevento did not even waiver for a second after the goal, from that point forward, most of the game was end to end. Dalot was very solid, with a clearance at one end early on, and then a shot that was rebounded out for one of Ibrahimovic's many shots in this match. Dalot would also end up playing on both sides after Theo Hernandez was subbed off late in the game. He made a great case in this match for buying him from Manchester United. Romagnoli also had a solid game in his first start in months. He and Tomori paired well.
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| The heart and soul of our team |
Theo Hernandez was injured again in the 28th, having collided awkwardly with a Benevento player. He would also get kicked in the face later, too, it wasn't exactly his night. Leao did not have a particularly great day at the office, either, his chances were not as clinical as usual. Bennacer got a yellow for a challenge on Dabo, then was very lucky to not get a second yellow and be sent off. Pioli wisely brought Tonali on for him at the half, and the young midfielder did quite well in the second half.
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| He may be bruised everywhere tomorrow, but tonight, he was red and black |
Milan continued to pepper the Benevento goal with shots, they took 20 shots in all, with 11 on target. Montipó denied Ibrahimovic over and over, including a point blank save in the 55th which saw Montipó needing treatment after colliding with the big Swede. Luckily for Benevento, he was able to continue. However, his luck ran out in the 60th, as Ibrahimovic was denied yet again as the goalkeeper parried his shot. But Theo Hernandez, after having been brutalized, took revenge and sent the ball into the back of the net on the rebound. 2-0 Milan.
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| He's back, and he's frustrated |
Pioli made his subs, but the score stayed the same. Benevento pinned Milan back for a while, but everyone defended well. Ibrahimovic made a block in the 87th that hit his arm, but Calvarese ruled that his arm was in a natural position, so did not give the handball or the penalty. Pippo and the Benevento players were not particularly happy about that, but it probably was the right call. In the final minutes of stoppage time, Castillejo earned himself a yellow card, perhaps it was for the fresh bleach job on his hair, I'm not sure, but he will miss the Juventus match next week due to card accumulation.
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| Then... |
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| ... and now |
Both teams fought hard to the last minute, but football is all about money now, so the team with the most expensive players won. Pippo and Ibrahimovic shared a warm hug at the end, as former Milan teammates. The biggest crime was that there were no fans at the San Siro to welcome back legendary Milan striker. I hope that Inzaghi knows that even if this result pulled Benevento that much closer to relegation, at least his team's loss was Milan's gain. These three points pulled us one match closer to returning to the Champions League, a competition that Inzaghi was legendary in as a player. Milan still have a tough battle to seal our qualification, but tonight, they got the job done. Sorry, Pippo.
This post inspired by the music of "Pippo Inzaghi segna per Noi"