Sunday's match raised more questions than it answered. What happens when you have more outfield players injured in the stands than you have healthy outfield players available on the bench? Why is Allegri insistent upon forcing Leão to play as a lone striker? Why must Milan suffer so much against a team that is winless in Serie A this season, even with such a superior roster? I mean, Milan pulled off the 2-1 win over Fiorentina. But some have questions about the validity of the second goal, the one that also put Milan top of the table. Was the foul on Gimenez a clear and obvious error for the VAR team to point out to Marinelli? Should players be punished when they "enhance" their reactions to minimal contact? Should referees be better about reviewing incidents when players do not react at all? And why can the AIA not just give a straight answer? The result may say that Milan took all three points, but it really just created more controversy and saw everyone raising the question.
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| Was it a penalty? Should players react? Are these Allegri's starting attackers? Just raising the question. |
Starting from the beginning, Allegri had six players out injured, and only five outfield players on the bench. The international break was not kind to Milan. Obviously, that made Allegri's choices more difficult. But it really made watching the first half especially difficult. I presume that even for old friends like Florenzi, Gattuso, and the newly unemployed Galliani who were all in attendance, it was a similarly difficult watch. When Maignan was required to do some fancy footwork vs. Moise Kean because he got himself in trouble, and Pavlović skied a shot in front of goal were the highlights of the first half, you know that sales of antacids within the Milan community spiked on Sunday.
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| Athekame's first start forced by injuries was not anything to write home about. |
The second half started with Athekame earning a yellow card for fouling Gosens. It was Athekame's first start, and he didn't completely disappoint, but he didn't particularly impress, either. When Gosens scored in the 55th, Allegri knew what he needed to change the match. He subbed the aforementioned Athekame off, moved Saelemaekers back to his natural position, and brought on Gimenez, moving Leão to a more comfortable position, as well. And that one substitution changed everything.
After Fofana got his requisite yellow card out of the way for a foul on Ranieri, things could finally get started for Milan. And Leão got them started with a screaming goal from distance in the 63rd minute. 1-1 all. It was his first Serie A goal in San Siro in more than a year, which was difficult for the haters, because this was a grievance they had been holding over him, although he had scored plenty of goals away during that time.
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| It's Leão's world and we are just living in it. |
As the commentator from the World Feed wisely said, "Stop wasting time debating whether he's world class or not and simply savor the gifts of Rafael Leão!" And it even inspired Fofana to start shooting, which went about as well as you would expect... one shot saved, and one into the cheap seats. Tomori also earned a yellow card for a foul on Parisi, the third and final yellow for Milan in this match.
Then it was Santi Gimenez time. He had a fantastic shot that required an equally fantastic save from De Gea to push it over in the 76th minute, all originating from a great cross from Bartesaghi, who was also great in this match. Piccoli came on and elbowed Ricci, but it was another foul that got all the attention. (Or was it a foul? That is one of the questions.)
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| Bartesaghi has been showing great performances since Theo left and gave him actual playing time. |
In the 81st minute, Parisi's arm was out, Santi Gimenez went down and acted as if he had been shot in the face, and also appeared to have kicked out at an opponent on his way down, too. Initially, Marinelli did not call anything. But Abisso in the VAR booth asked to review it. And after three very long minutes, and an on field review from Marinelli, he changed his call and awarded Milan a penalty for a foul on Gimenez by Parisi.
There has been so much debate about this. First question raised: was it a foul in the box? From the initial camera views, it looked like maybe not. But the replays showed that not only did Parisi's hadn make contact with Santi's face, he actually pulled him down by his neck. Even Fiorentina's own technical commentator on their YouTube channel said, "...When you put your arm or your hands out, it's always a risk, it's always a risk, even if the push isn't enough to bring them down. Unfortunately, Parisi's hand was out wide." So yes, it was definitely a foul. In the box.
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| He changed the game and raised all the questions. |
Second question: Should it have been a penalty? After all, Marinelli initially did not call it, but then changed his mind after the VAR review. Was it a clear and obvious error for VAR to intervene? This is where things are not as clear. Technically, if it was a foul in the box, then yes, it was a clear and obvious error. But many referees feel like it was not clear and obvious enough to overturn the decision on the pitch. And this is where the AIA needs to get their act together. For some clubs, it would be a penalty every time, where as for Milan, Marinelli and Abisso were lucky to not have been suspended, because no one is supposed to give calls to Milan like this. The official AIA decision days afterward was that it was not a penalty, but other officials said it was. This is the problem with VAR and the AIA. They need to get their stories straight, and be consistent for all clubs.
Third question raised: Should players be punished for excessive reactions? There has been a lot of debate around this all week. Pioli claimed that by awarding penalties like this we "are encouraging players to continue simulating.." While Pradè, known for his level-headed takes, called it "scandalous" and claimed that Santi "stayed down for twenty minutes and didn't even touch him." However, we do know that Parisi absolutely touched him, even if Santi exaggerated the impact.
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| The penalty that gave Leão a brace, Milan three points and top of the table. |
This was also discussed by going back to previous discussions, when other penalties were missed because players like Leão just got up and did not react at all, despite very serious fouls. Referees have admitted to missing those calls due to the lack of reaction. And statistically, players who do "embellish" or at least wait on the ground a bit are much more likely to get a call anywhere on the pitch. But where do we draw the line? Neymar rolling around when the wind blows is definitely way too much. But Santi was fouled. He deserved the penalty. Marinelli missed it initially. And by grabbing his face and staying down so long, he got it. Is that his fault? Or the fault of poor referees and a VAR system that would have otherwise not given the penalty?
Finally, after a full four minute delay, Parisi was shown a yellow card, and then it was a question of who would take the penalty. Pulisic was out injured. We saw Fofana with the ball, and I think every Milan fan in the world was sent into a serious panic of some sort. I know I screamed "No!" out loud in a manner that everyone here was concerned I was being attacked. And while Allegri claims Fofana is good at penalties, I did calm down somewhat when Leão took the ball. He has never taken a penalty outside of a shootout, but he had just scored, I trusted him far more than Sir Shoots-a-Lot.
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| The most important save may have been made by Gabbia, who rescued Leão from a silly yellow card. |
And it was in the 86th minute, finally, that Leão took the penalty and scored against De Gea. 2-1 Milan. Very different than how Fonseca's penalties against Milan went last year. And also a brace for Leão, his first since June of 2023. While I felt for Fiorentina fans – no one knows what it is like to be on the wrong side of a controversial penalty call better than Milan fans – it was also an amazing feeling after such a dreadful first hour of the match. And I felt for Pioli, too. It was his 500th Serie A match as a manager, and Monday was his 60th Birthday, too. Another loss for him was not what I would wish for him.
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| Probably not the birthday gift Pioli was looking for. |
Allegri made a couple of late substitutions. First bringing on De Winter for Saelemaekers in the 90th minute, making it four defenders to hold onto that lead. And finally, the young Balentien for Leão in the 93rd, as Leão looked like he may have pulled something (an incredible scare with six players already out.) Not only was Leão obviously voted Milan's MOTM, he was the Serie A Player of the Match as well. And Modrić said some absolutely glowing things about him, too. And when the final whistle blew, Milan had all three points and had secured the top of the leaderboard.
This was even more enjoyable because this was the first time in nearly a year that the Curva Sud had been allowed to have their flags and banners in the San Siro again. It was a beautiful sight, it felt like coming home to a home-cooked meal after a traumatic event. And their cheering, for the second home match in a row, helped to lift the team to victory. The atmosphere was finally what this team deserved after a year of protests, boycotts, and tension.
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| With players like Modrić and Leão on the pitch, Milan have great possibilities. |
This match may have raised more questions than answers. Like has Allegri actually learned anything if he started such an underperforming starting 11 (even if he was greatly impacted by inuries)? Like even if he corrected by bringing on Santi Gimenez, showing everyone his importance even when he does not manage to get on the scoreboard, did we really need to suffer so much first? And then there were all the questions and controversy around the penalty, of course. As well as the toxicity around Leão, even when he scores a brace – will the Italian media ever change? But the latest enigma: does Milan really have a chance at more than just a top four finish this season? Suddenly, everyone is raising the question.
Milan Primavera and Atalanta Primavera Ends Goalless
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| An admirable performance away, even if they split the points with Atalanta Primavera. |
Renna's side has been playing very well away this season, but this match saw them end goalless in Bergamo. The final score was Atalanta Primavera 0, Milan Primavera 0 in a very tense match. The worst news was that Ossola was forced off with an injury in just the 35th minute. Both team had chances, with Castiello, Lontani, and Pandolfi in particular nearly scoring. Milan in particular pressed particularly hard in the second half, with Atalanta having a couple of great chances in the final minutes as well, and Longoni made a couple of important saves as well. However, the teams would end splitting the points. It was considered a solid performance for Renna's boys, who sit in ninth place, four points behind the fourth place Atalanta Primavera. Brief highlights are available. They will host Cesena on Saturday.
Milan Futuro Falls 2-0 to Caldiero Terme at Home
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| Robbed by the referee again, Perina very clearly should have been awarded a penalty. |
After suffering their first loss of the season the previous week, Oddo's Futuro team once again lost, this time a 2-0 loss to Caldiero Terme, and this time in front of their home fans. Sunday's match featured a very physical first half with very few chances that ended goalless. Early in the second half, there was yet another very controversial refereeing decision that went against Milan Futuro. In the 53rd, Perina was clearly pulled down in the penalty area, impeding his shot, but no call was given.
Twenty minutes later, Caldiero's substitute made an immediate impact with a goal, and in stoppage time, from a corner, Magrassi scored a very unfortunate own goal to give the visitors a second goal. Brief highlights are available. Back to back poor referee calls and losses clearly negatively impacted the young squad's mood, but they would have another chance midweek with their rescheduled match away to Breno.
Oddo's Milan Futuro Lose their Third Match in a Row Away 2-1 to Breno
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| Domniței's first goal with Milan Futuro was not enough in this match. |
Wednesday was the makeup for Milan Futuro after their week seven match vs. Breno had been postponed due to the international break. Unfortunately, Oddo's guys were unable to climb out of the nosedive they are in on the Serie D Group B table with a 2-1 loss to Breno. In addition to the missing players due to injury, Sala and Balentien have been training with the first team, so Oddo has been calling up players from the Primavera to fill the spots. The goals in this one all came in the first half, within just ten minutes.
The first goal from Breno was a superb free kick from well outside of the box that went over everyone, including Torriani. The second, just two minutes later, was the result of a naïve defensive error from Milan Futuro, putting the home side up 2-0. However, Domniței pulled one back with a cross from Maximilian Ibrahimović that he was able to just slot into the corner under the keeper. Breno did hit the post later, and Milan Futuor created chances, too, but unfortunately, it ended with Milan Futuro dropping all three points again. Brief highlights are available. Milan Futuro have fallen to seventh place in Group B. Their next match is away to Folgore Caratese on Sunday.