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| The wall of Milan who provide calm in the chaos. |
Lazio made their intentions clear immediately, with Gila forcing Maignan into a huge save in just the second minute. Gila then tested Pavlović's unbreakable head when they both went up for a ball, but luckily, Pavlović was okay. We have been incredibly fortunate so far with our center backs this season. Fofana made us question everything in our lives again, so just another match, and then Rabiot was fouled by Guendouzi, so just another brutalizing Lazio match.
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| One of our best attacking players is also one of our center backs. |
Gabbia had a fantastic tackle in the middle of the pitch. He is the best at defending of our three main center backs, and I do really enjoy a perfect tackle like this. Meanwhile, Tomori got himself carded for a foul on Zaccagni. But Tomori has been stepping his game up as well, so I can forgive a yellow, especially against a team like Lazio.
Speaking of Zaccagni, he was becoming quite the nuisance. He forced Maignan into another save, but then was down injured and looked like he might need to come off. Replays showed that Saelemaekers' boot made contact with the side of his knee during the previous play, and, after taking out Suzuki, I wondered if Saelemaekers is becoming a hit man for us this season? But Zaccagni was able to continue. So, after Tomori took a shot wide, basically Milan's only chance in the first half, Saelemaekers insteac turned to Bašić and fouled him instead.
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| Is Saelemaekers our new unapologetic hit man? |
The second half started out with a Leão goal from a well worked team play that included a Tomori assist. 1-0 Milan. This put Leão in an elite league of players who have scored 100 or more Serie A goals. We were surfing now. Although some more clinically than others. Rabiot sent a shot wide, then Fofana obviously had to take an off target shot as well. Meanwhile, at the other end, Isaksensent a couple of shots over.
But in between that, we had one of the greatest displays of who Fofana is for us that we have seen. In the 61st minute, he made a brilliant run, all the way down the pitch, only to lose control of the ball and not be able to even make the shot when he got there. That's so Fofana. Leão distracted from that by forcing Provedel into a massive save. Which is maybe good for him, because we know that Allegri does not like anything more than a 1-0 win.
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| Leão is in a league of his own. |
Gabbia received his yellow card for a foul on Taty Castellanos, then Fofana was put out of his misery in the 65th minute, when Allegri subbed Loftus-Cheek on for him. I poke fun, but Fofana is literally great at everything else but shooting, and he works so hard. It is no surprise at all that Allegri keeps starting him. Channeling his inner Fofana, Lotfus-Cheek entered the pitch and took his shot wide.
Taty Castellanos, a sub for Sarri in the 62nd minute, forced Maignan into yet another fantastic save in the 71st minute. After that, Bartesaghi was fouled hard and down injured, worryingly so. But after some treatment, he was able to play again. In the 72nd, our former captain, Romagnoli, took out Saelemaekers and received a yellow card for his efforts. However, many think that referee Collu was incredibly generous here in not giving a red card because of the late, incredibly dangerous, studs up challenge from behind. Perhaps Collu is one of those "living dangerously" kind of guys who does not value his ability to walk, or even have a functioning ankle, who knows?
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| How this is not a red card challenge, I'll never understand. |
Leão forced Provedel into yet another save in the 81st minute, and then Allegri replaced Nkunku with Ricci. This move was both tactical and also, as many fans have pointed out, because Nkunku has not produced goals in the way some would have liked by now. But to be fair, perhaps it is because balloons are too expensive?
Bašić tested Maignan in our goal, then Pavlović tested Provedel, who actually dropped the ball, and unfortunately, no Milan player was there to take advantage of it. Our former Romagnoli also fouled Leão in the 86th minute, which should have been his second yellow card, but maybe he is a relative of Collu's, who knows? In the 87th minute, in a preview of what was to come, Lazio wanted a handball call, but a VAR review said no handball, and play resumed. Pedro also tested Maignan's gloves just before the end of regulation, then Ricci was shown a yellow card for a foul on Pedro in the 90th minute.
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| Ricci quickly becoming an important figure in our midfield. |
Up until this point, it was a tense, well fought Allegri match, in which Milan were up exactly 1-0, and he only used two of five subs. His "corto muso" style at its peak. Well, other than the fact that Milan's Curva Sud are still fighting for their banners, the authorities have become a joke. But that all changed in the 96th minute, when once again, VAR was reviewing a potential handball call on Pavlović. Perhaps it was because last year, Lazio won at San Siro with a stoppage time penalty against Milan as well, but that is when all hell broke loose.
Instead of being able to manage the VAR call, Collu was forced to go to the sidelines, where Allegri was mixing things up with a member of Sarri's staff. First Allegri was shown off. Like literally with the Ref Cam, and him taking his jacket off afterward, too. I guess he needed another vacation day this weekend. Next, the Lazio staff member was also sent off. Even Saelemaekers and Sarri were getting into it, a throwback to four years ago. But everyone was losing it, and while Collu managed to avoid handing out any other cards, it took him three full minutes to manage all of the disciplinary issues, then watch the VAR feed and make his decision.
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| What the Ref Cam was made for. |
That decision is being hailed as genius by journalists and former referees. Because the Pavlović handball was never a real handball in any definition they have been given. Di Paolo in the VAR booth should never have So Collu looked for another way out of this that did not ruin his career or make matters worse. He took a shirt pull from Marušić on Pavlović (which was also never really a foul) as an excuse to not give the handball call.
And he announced it in the most Italian, cinematic of ways, too. (I think I love this referee announcing their VAR decision thing, if the cameras show the responses of the players.) First, he said that there was, in fact a handball on Pavlović, which had Lazio players acting like it was Christmas morning.
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| That moment when your incredulous face becomes a meme. (At least Isaksen understands Italian.) |
Then, a "but..." and he announced that Marušić had fouled Pavlović first, so (because the order of events matters in refereeing) there was no penalty call. Now the Milan players were ecstatic, and the Lazio players looked as if they had walked in on their moms sleeping with "Santa Claus", simultaneously learning that Santa Claus wasn't actually real, and that their mom was a whore at the same time. Simply devastating. Pure gold.
This also served to demonstrate which players are fluent in Italian, or at least could hear the referee correctly, because not all the players seemed to understand what was going on. Which was also a form of entertainment in and of itself. I genuinely wished I had some popcorn in this moment, because I never expected such absolute cinema in an Allegri match. Although, to be fair, we have already had more than our fair of referee drama this season, with at least two referees going against their VAR On Field Review (OFR) requests. And Di Paolo will be suspended because of that now, too.
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| At the end of the madness, there was a rightful celebration with the brilliant fans. |
So Allegri, the Lazio staff member, and Di Paolo all get next weekend off. Meanwhile, the match went to the 114th minute of stoppage time, when originally, there were supposed to be five minutes. And here we are again, the entire nation of Italy discussing Milan. Again. Not for being top of the table again, but because of Rocchi's Lonely Hearts VAR Referee Club™. I mean, if the VAR referees need attention so much, give them some screen time at the half to do whatever they want: dance, sing, juggle, or pontificate about the Laws of the Game. But the reffing in Serie A has become a joke under Signor Rocchi, and something needs to change.
After all the madness, Milan emerged victorious, Leão's singular goal being enough to take all three points from Sarri's very, very, very sad Lazio side. So sad, in fact, that they refused to talk to the press, which made all the drama even more delicious. I do love a pouty silenzio stampa from a scorned, losing side. It justified all of the chaos, the sending-offs, and the eventual VAR ref suspension, too. It is the only kind of drama that I enjoy, and only when we are on the winning side of it, obviously. And it should make for an interesting Coppa Italia match on Thursday, too, where we will kick off with fresh drama. (As if Sarri or Lazio even need that.) I wish the referee well, I really do. Hopefully, he can avoid another descent into madness.