Milan have been called a lot of things this season, but since Conceição arrived, names with the word "comeback" in them are starting to stick. After winning 3-2 last week having been down 2-0 against Lecce, this week, it was Como's turn. Milan turned this one around to win 2-1. Again. Conceição has already won 10 matches in all competitions since he arrived at Milan, and of those 10 wins, six were comeback wins. Hopefully, after the international break, they'll learn how to win games from the first minute. But until then, they are being touted as Serie A's comeback kings.
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| Bringing Milan back into the match over and over again. |
Gabbia set the tone for this match with a foul on Da Cunha in the first minute that some referees may have given as a yellow card. Luckily, Marchetti, the referee for our match, did not. Luck did not continue, however, as a great team play led to Theo Hernández crossing the ball in, and Musah, with a pretty great opportunity, just sending the ball frustratingly wide. It was like watching someone serve dinner to a toddler on a silver platter, and then the toddler just spilling it everywhere with the uncontrolled wave of one little arm. It feels like Musah just needs to get his first goal, and things will be fine, but if he could not score that one, that day may not ever come.
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| Musah just needs to get his first goal for confidence. |
Pulisic got away with a decent foul against Goldaniga, but Bondo's reckless challenge on Da Cunha earned him the first yellow card of the match in just the 10th minute. Cutrone was seen harassing Maignan a little too much for my taste, and Nico Paz sent a shot wide. Rafa Leão, playing in his 250th appearance for Milan, had his shot saved in the 15th minute. Then, in the 19th minute, Cutrone was hassling Maignan again as he was trying to quickly restart play. I don't think Cutrone has kept up with Milan, because Maignan is not someone to be messed with.
Our players got rather violent, with Theo running into Strefezza's face, the latter needing some treatment. Meanwhile, Pulisic was whistled for an elbow to Kempf's face, and Conceição was upset, wanting the foul to be called the other way. Cutrone's best chance of the match was stopped by the only player in the team he probably still recognized, Gabbia. Then Maignan made a huge save on Nico Paz.
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| Must have been strange for Cutrone to come "home" and only see one familiar face. |
However, in the 33rd minute, Da Cunha scored. 1-0 Como. Not the score Milan fans wanted to see, not that the Curva Sud or even the 70,000 fans in attendance were being very supportive, either. (Como reportedly had a record 5,000 fans in attendance.) Reijnders also missed out on being carded for a bad foul, then Pulisic's shot went over, and Maignan saved an attempt from Kempf. That was the first half.
Conceição made some changes at the half, bringing on Fofana for Bondo, who was on a yellow, and Álex Jiménez for Theo Hernández, who we later learned had a slight calf issue. Musah earned himself a yellow card for a foul on Assane Diao. Then it seemed as though disaster had struck. Da Cunha had the ball in the back of the net again in the 49th minute. However, after a fairly long VAR review, the goal was disallowed for being offside.
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| Hope Theo's injury is not serious. |
The weird thing is, there was a pretty hefty foul on Jiménez at the opposite end before the goal, which would have not only reversed the goal, but awarded Milan a penalty. And in the replays I saw, that is the call that Marchetti should have made. However, good old Semi-automated Offside Technology showed a tiny bit of a shoulder offside, and the score was still 1-0 for Como. So this is what it felt like to have the call go your team's way. I definitely did not mind it, even if Fabregas was livid.
The break also allowed for Conceição to replace the cautioned Musah with João Félix. And voilá, play resumed, and Pulisic scored an amazing equalizer from a tight angle with an assist from Reijnders. 1-1 all. So this is what it felt like to have a referee call change the momentum of the match to benefit your team. This was a completely new experience for me, but I was enjoying this.
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| One minute, we were down 2-0, the next we were level at 1-1, and it felt like that. |
Maignan made a few saves, and João Félix sent a great ball forward for Santi Gimenez, but it had just a little bit too much on it, so he was not able to capitalize on it. In the 68th minute, Conceição replaced the tired Gimenez with fresh legs Tammy Abraham. Less than a minute later, Reijnders had a beautiful shot that just hit the top of the crossbar as it went over. Cutrone's shot at the other end went well over, and then it was the end of his homecoming as he was subbed off. Too bad the Curva Sud were too self-absorbed to give him the sendoff he deserved.
Goldaniga had a shot saved by Maignan, but it was Reijnders who scored next, with an assist by Tammy Abraham. 2-1 Milan. Then Conceição subbed Leão off to facilitate the return of Loftus-Cheek from his injury. Álex Jiménez and Strefezza had a bit of a spat, so Marchetti awarded them both with yellow cards. Then we witnessed the triumphant return of Dele Alli for Como, which was massive for him, having not played for about two years.
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| The devastation Reijnders leaves in his wake... |
However, first Fabregas was shown a yellow card, then a minute later, Conceição was shown a yellow card as well. Reijnders sent a shot just wide, and Maignan was down, but apparently, maybe he was just cramping. But the big controversy of the evening was still to come.
In the 90th minute, Dele Alli caught Loftus-Cheek from behind. Marchetti hesitated, but then showed him a yellow card. He also showed one to Nico Paz for dissent. But things went from bad to worse when Doveri in the VAR booth called Marchetti over to the screen to review the play for himself. That's when he saw the clumsiness of the challenge, the studs up into Loftus-Cheek, and he returned to the pitch with a red card for Dele Alli.
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| Loftus-Cheek finally returned, got fouled, and there was all kinds of controversy around it. |
The card itself wasn't as controversial as Kyle Walker's reaction. He was arguing alongside the Como players for Marchetti not to show the red card. I am disappointed that so many people see this in such a negative light. It was the 90th minute, Milan were up a goal, and the chances of Dele Alli making a difference in making a gamechanging play were clearly minimal, given the clumsy challenge after not playing for two years. For that alone, it should not have caused any controversy.
But it was also such a beautiful human gesture from a good friend and former teammate for Walker to plead his cause after all he had been through. And he had been through a lot. For me, Dele Alli is a hero because he opened up and was incredibly vulnerable to share his story about childhood abuse and the mental health issues he has struggled with since then so others would not feel alone and maybe his story would help them. Just knowing that this was his return after nearly two years of not playing, no one wanted it to end in a red card. But for those who know his whole story, Walker's reaction was even more meaningful. And after all, who wouldn't want a friend like Walker to have their backs?
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| Walker's appeals on behalf of his friend and opponent, Dele Alli, were an act of humanity in a world of sport. |
A lot of people don't realize that Serie A used to award something called a Cartellino Viola (Purple Card.) It was an award for sportsmanship and fair play, and was actually sometimes awarded for those who argued for their opponents with the referees. So Walker's actions were not that unusual, and those calling upon his leadership or credibility can refer to his captaining the treble winning Manchester City side. If you followed the postmatch convo on social media, Dele Alli and Loftus-Cheek had a very lighthearted conversation about it, as well, it was never malicious.
Nevertheless, with the benefit of a VAR review, it was a warranted red card, Marchetti did award it, Dele Alli was sent off, and Como were down to ten men. A shame that his return will be blighted like this and that he will miss the next match. This was the last straw for Fabregas, who was sent off as well. Milan were able to hold off Como's last efforts, and Douvikas's shot in the 96th minute was saved by Maignan, and then the final whistle blew. Milan had done it. They had come back again.
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| Conceição has united this team and given them the fire in their eyes to come back, even when down. |
Unfortunately, the Curva Sud were still were still being ignorant Karens, and they sang chants against management and whistled our players except for when Milan scored. But after the match ended, they were whistling our players profusely. So finally, our players did not go and bow to these criminals, they just left the pitch and went to the dressing room. I hope the fans got the message and will consider actually supporting the team next time. Between that and playing the "Keep Racism Out"weekend in front of a less racist crowd was also helpful as well.
The most helpful, obviously, has been Conceição and his staff. They have rebuilt the character and determination of the team so that when the going gets tough, the players get going. Coming from behind and winning 2-1 vs. Como again felt somehow perfect, as Como are a tough team. But playing at home as if it was an away match because of perpetually angry fans is never easy, either. Some are complaining about the tactics of quality of football, but he was honest about that up front. The next step is to get them to be decisive from the first minute, but until then, we should perhaps be grateful that at least we have our comeback kings.
Milan Futuro Concede Late Again for a 1-1 Draw vs. Pontedera
New manager Massimo Oddo was actually suspended for this one, so was not on the bench. Milan Futuro started this one well, but the match became equally difficult as the rain became heavier. The score was still 0-0 at halftime, but Camporese put Futuro up 1-0 in the 73rd minute as he scored from a great Bartesaghi free kick. Unfortunately, less than ten minutes later, they conceded and Pontedera equalized for the 1-1 draw. Highlights are available on the Serie C YouTube channel, as usual.
The good news is that Milan Futuro finally caught a little break, with Sestro Levante and Legnago Salus both losing over the weekend, they pushed Milan Futuro back up to 18th point. Also, Lucchese are facing serious penalties for financial issues, which could affect the playouts and/or relegation as well. So, if Oddo can continue to get positive results for the final six matches, they still stand a chance of avoiding automatic relegation, or possibly even the playouts. But it will not be easy, as they face seventh place Arezzo next.
Milan Primavera Defeat League Leaders Roma 3-1
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| Guidi's boys took down his former team without him. |
Following their draw in the Derby the week before, and their Coppa Italia Semifinal win vs. Cagliari midweek to make it to the Final, Milan Primavera closed out a great week with a 1-3 away win over Roma Primavera. This was Coach Guidi's former team, and ironically, he was actually suspended for this match. Perhaps that is just the thing that galvanized the team for the win. After a relatively uneventful first half, with both sides taking chances, the score was still 0-0.
Perrucci scored the first goal with a Bakoune assist in the 66th minute. Six minutes later, goalscorer turned provider as Perrucci had the assist for Hodžić's goal. Finally, in a full circle of scoring, Hodžić got the assist for Bakoune's late stoppage time goal. Highlights can be seen here. The Primavera are just one point behind Juventus in sixth place after this week's matches. They will face Sampdoria at home after the international break.
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Reviewed by Elaine
on
10:30 AM
Rating:
