Milan suffered our first league loss against Fiorentina due to some spectacularly bad errors from both sides in some spectacularly heavy fog. That said, Fiorentina were still the side that were both more focused and more clinical, despite the weather. The loss hurts, and gives Napoli the chance to go up to three points clear at the top, but is not that surprising considering more last minute injuries and the fact that it was bound to happen at some point. Still disappointing that we dominated and could have won, but too many of our players were in a fog.
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| When the fog goes to your head |
Ibrahimović made his intentions known by scoring a goal in the fifth minute, but it was called back for offside. Leao made an excellent effort or two, but then came the first error. Tatarusanu, hero of the Derby just two weeks ago, literally dropped the ball and Duncan capitalized on the massive error to make it 1-0 Fiorentina just 15 minutes in.
Milan came back with a vengeance, dominating possession and taking chances everywhere. Leão in particular had at least four good chances that were blocked or saved, and Terracciano had a double save on Ibrahimović and then Brahim Díaz. One of the best chances was when Kjaer put a great ball forward for Ibrahimović, whose header was just wide. But in an almost ironic twist, in the final minute of stoppage time before the half, Saponara scored a beautiful curling goal into the top right corner to put Fiorentina up 2-0. He clearly still hasn't forgiven Milan for sending him away.
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| The only one who could break through |
The second half started and Milan were not making enough of an impact, so Pioli made three changes, bringing on Giroud, Florenzi, and Messias. Their impact was not immediate, in fact Vlahović scored just three minutes after they came on. 3-0 Fiorentina. That made Ibrahimović angry. Very angry. So just two minutes later, with a little help from the beloved former Milan player, Bonaventura, Ibrahimović pulled one back for Milan. 3-1 Fiorentina. It was really fun to see Ibrahimović and Giroud on at the same time, even if it was a luxury we can't really afford with our injury luck.
Leão was tripped in the box, no call from Guida, and no VAR review, either, but when you look for the penalty like he did, you are less likely to get the call. It's not like it was a clear and egregious error like we are used to suffering from. Maybe that also made Ibrahimović angry, because two minutes later, Leão sent in a great ball to Theo Hernández, who crossed it to Ibrahimović, who slotted it past Terracciano for the second time. 3-2 Fiorentina. Now it was game on.
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| Whatever it takes. |
Leão was down and getting treatment with a little over ten minutes left to play, and was then subbed off, a worrying sight for Milan fans, who are all too familiar with injuries. But the good news is that it was apparently just cramps. With less than five minutes left in regulation, Theo Hernández turned the ball over in a very dangerous area, and when it was sent in to Vlahović from that error, he slotted it home. 4-2 Fiorentina.
Theo Hernández was fouled by Castrovilli, and both were carded after Theo foolishly protested. At least with those two being the only cards in the match, it is difficult to argue about Guida's performance. Kjaer sent a header in that was saved, and Ibrahimović also refused to concede the match. He sent a header in that hit the bar, which should have made a hat trick for him. However, with the bar intervening, it turned out to be a Venuti own goal, a consolation just before the final whistle. 4-3 Fiorentina.
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| "Excuse me, that was supposed to be my hat trick" |
The lack of concentration, massive errors, and inability to convert, with Milan having taken 17 shots and only seven of those on target all led to the loss. But you can't have the discussion without acknowledging that Italiano's side took advantage of their chances, taking nine shots with five on target. That also tells you something about Tatarusanu, that he only made one save against his former side. Ouch.
Milan miss Maignan so much, and Tomori being left out of the squad due to a last minute hip problem was a huge blow for us as well. Gabbia has not started this season until now, and that was also very clear in this match. The one positive was when the Curva Fiesole honored Astori in the 13th minute, as they do at every home match, they also honored Pioli by singing "Uno di noi" ("one of us.") Aside from that, though, the heavy fog that nearly concealed the match must have also affected the players' brains. Milan were simply in a fog.
This post inspired by the music of Ella Fitzgerald's "A Foggy Day"