As mentioned in the preview, Lecce were unlikely to get a result going into this match. And Milan's 3-0 win vs. Lecce hardly tells the whole story. Milan had 77% possession and took 24 shots to Lecce's two. And sure, a lot of that was due to the disparity between the two clubs. But there was another unfortunate event that greatly impacted the match. Lecce played with ten men from the 18th minute. Yes, after an early red card, Lecce's Coppa Italia dreams were shattered. There was never a chance.
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| Magical and wholesome. |
Milan came out shooting, with Santi Gimenez forcing Früchtl into a save in just the second minute, and Loftus-Cheek taking advantage of the rebound, a shot that was saved by a goal line clearance. The chances continued, but not always on target. Santi, Rabiot, and in the ninth minute, Nkunku hit the post. That was just on of four times that Milan would hit the woodwork. The frame of the goal was Lecce's best defender on the night.
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| Gunning for the capocannoniere. |
Then came the fouls. Saelemaeker fouled Morente in the 10th minute, and was lucky to escape a card. In the 14th minute, Nkunku was fouled in the box, but Tremolada, the referee, determined it was not enough for a penalty. In the 17th minute, Siebert fouled him in the box again, and Tremolada called a foul and showed Siebert a yellow card.
However, in a shocking turn of events for Milan, because they never rule in Milan's favor, Maggioni in the VAR room asked him to take a second look at it. After going to the monitor, Tremolada upgraded the card to a straight red card for Siebert. Lecce were on ten men. For the record, I hate early red cards, they ruin a match, even when they are given to the opposition. And Di Francesco had made ten changes to his starting 11, too, so when the red card came, there was never a chance they would get back into the game.
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| That first goal of the season feeling. |
Santi Gimenez almost immediately capitalized on the man advantage. Bartesaghi, who played very well on the night, sent in a great cross, and Gimenez finally got his first goal of the season. 1-0 Milan. I think there was a collective relief amongst Milan fans, there has been so much pressure placed on him to score. Ten minutes later, it was Rabiot's turn to hit the crossbar. That was two saves for the woodwork by the 30th minute.
Then came the cards. Ricci, who had been great, was shown a yellow card for a foul on Camarda. It was great to see our young on-loan player getting another start, but heartbreaking that he was left playing on that team, and already down to ten men. Next up, Kaba fouled Rabiot. With his boot. To Rabiot's face. I am not sure what Rabiot is made of, but he did not even bleed. His only consolation for what looked like an incredibly painful foul was that Kaba was cautioned for dangerous play.
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| Is Rabiot made of steel? Taking a boot to the face with no blood, he is unbreakable. |
Pavlović took a brilliant free kick in the 45th minute, forcing Früchtl into a big save. Then Santi had another header blocked as well. And finally, just before halftime, Pavlović also made a fantastic tackle as well. After the half, Fofana replaced Ricci.
The second half kicked off with Loftus-Cheek turning, shooting, and hitting the post. Save number three for the woodwork. Then it was time for the magic. Nkunku, in his first start, had already been a complete nightmare and a disruptor for Lecce in the first half, the reason they were on ten men. But in the 51st, Saelemaekers sent a cross from the opposite side of the pitch, and Nkunku stepped up with an acrobatic scissor kick volley from a difficult angle to smash it into the net. 2-0 Milan. And, for the first time, we got to see his iconic balloon celebration, which he does for his son, because he loves balloons. Magical and wholesome.
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| The magic. |
Früchtl saved shots from Rabiot, Saelemaekers, and Fofana, and then it was time for a couple of substitutions. Athekame replaced Saelemaekers, and Pulisic replaced Nkunku in the 61st minute. And less than three minutes later, Fofana sent in a cross as Pulisic was running in, and we know that Pulisic is inevitable. His goal made it 3-0. That is already his fifth goal of the season in just six matches.
Being up 3-0 and also up a man gave Milan the luxury of giving Balantien some minutes, he replaced Santi Gimenez in the 68th. Pavlović was shown a yellow for a foul on Pierotti as Lecce were trying to come to life and at least get a consolation goal. Like the resulting free kick from Berisha, that force Maignan into a save, tipping it over the bar. And, of course, Pulisic had his turn at hitting the post. Shoutout to the woodwork for save number four. Finally, in the 80th minute, we saw Odogu make his debut, replacing Pavlović.
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| The kids: De Winter (23,) Camarda (17,) and Odogu (19) |
Everyone was more than happy with the result, even if many of the fans left after the third goal, given it was a weeknight. This win puts Milan into the Coppa Italia Round of 16, where we should have started, but for our eighth place finish and loss in the Coppa Italia Final last season. Milan will face Lazio in December.
After the Udinese match, I offered an observation to consider. Milan have performed better in the three matches that Landucci was on the sidelines rather than Allegri. Six matches is a small sample size, but in each of the three matches Allegri was on the sidelines, the first halves were dreadful, and not only did we actually lose to Cremonese, but the 1-0 victory over Bologna and previous 2-0 win over Lecce did not come easily.
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| Is actually being calm better than screaming "Calma Calma Calma?" |
Whereas with Landucci, they scored in the first half every time, were calm and confident from kickoff, and won by 2-0 vs. Bari, an impressive 3-0 away to Udinese, and now another 3-0 win in this match. Coincidence? Or is there something to a manager who is actually calm on the sidelines vs. one who screams and gesticulates wildly and shouts "Calma Calma Calma?" Is there a psychological thing that Allegri makes the players nervous? Because if so, it may be worth him continuing to get bans if that's what it takes to see performances and better results like we have thus far.
The San Siro is still a graveyard due to the issues with management and the Curva Sud, although there were certainly signs of life after the second and third goals. And obviously, an early red card for poor Lecce all but determined the match. But it is very enjoyable to have four wins in a row, all with clean sheets as well. And to have only conceded two goals in six matches. Last year it was more like six goals in two matches. The bigger challenges are looming now, but the vibes are amazing, which will help a lot. Even with some rotation and resting of players like Modrić, the growing mentality did not falter, there was never a chance.
Milan Futuro Held to a 0-0 Draw by Casatese Merate
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| The 17 year-old Pittarella providing a guarantee in goal. |
Oddo's Milan Futuro are still undefeated, but they did drop points on Wednesday in their 0-0 draw with Casatese Merate away. There were a few surprises in the starting lineups. The young Pittarella was in goal, and both Balentien and Odogu, who had featured for the first team the night before, started for Futuro. Balentien played 68 minutes, while Odogu played the full match. The game was mostly a fruitless battle, with Pittarella making a spectacular save to keep Casatese Merate off the scoreboard. Brief highlights can be found here.
The best news was that although they only gained a point, this matched moved Futuro up from fifth place to 2nd place in Group B. They will host Scanzorosciate Calcio on Sunday.
Reviewed by Elaine
on
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