Written by: Holofelang Mogane
It was back to regular programming in all leagues around the world, including the Italian Serie A. The adventure to their destiny continues, with all eyes fixated towards a massive game between AC Milan VS Fiorentina, at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (otherwise known as the San Siro Stadium).
AC Milan went into this match after seeing their rivals, Inter Milan, tasting the summit of the standings after defeating AS Roma 1-0 away at the Stadio Olimpico in the eternal city of Rome. Der Rossoneri knew a victory against Fiorentina would mean they jump back to the top of the table. But they knew it was not going to be an easy match, as their key players were marked absent on the register. Captain America, Christian Pulisic, suffered an injury during international duty for the United States of America, whilst Ecuadorian full-back, Pervis Estupiñán, is still on suspension due to a red card he received in their encounter against Napoli, and is also injured, having suffered a thigh injury. Ardon Jashari suffered a fibula injury.
There was nothing to write home about in the 1st half of this encounter, from the poor touches in the final third, to not creating serious threats in their respective 18-yard areas.
The 1st half ended 0-0, which was a fair result as there were not a lot of clear-cut goal-scoring opportunities, and both goalkeepers did not have much to do.
A match of this magnitude was begging for a goal to reignite the spark of this contest, and a goal did eventually come, as Fiorentina went into the lead 10min into the 2nd half. Fiorentina were awarded a corner kick, and after a poor clearance from the home side, Robin Gosens found himself at the right place, at the right time, as he tapped the ball home to give Stefano Pioli’s men the lead in Milan.
That goal sparked the contest alive, and after Massimiliano Allegri made substitutes of his own to spark some life into AC Milan, the home side found the equalizer in the 63rd minute of the match. Portuguese star, Rafael Leão, conjured a shot from distance which had enough power to get past David De Gea and bring Der Rossoneri back to level terms. It was a significant goal for Leão, as this goal snapped a 512-day goal drought on home soil, as he scored his last home goal under the tutelage of Stefano Pioli (who was at the opposite bench).
Two goals scored into the 2nd half meant the contest was very much alive, and we were all prepared to see who wants it more – is it Fiorentina, who are yet to win a match in the Italian Serie A after 6 games going into this encounter against Milan, under their current manager Pioli, or is it AC Milan, who were determined to get back to pole position and be a part of the race for the Scudetto?
It was a back and forth between the two sides, as they were eager to score the winning goal, but there was a massive moment in the game that changed everything. Substitute, Santiago Giménez, was fouled by Fabiano Parisi, but the foul was not initially awarded by the referee. VAR intervened and recommended the referee take a closer look at the foul at the pitch-side monitor, whilst Giménez was receiving treatment.
The referee overturned his initial decision after looking at the pitch-side monitor, and awarded Der Rossoneri the penalty, and Parisi was booked for the challenge to Giménez. The Portuguese star, Rafael Leão, took the responsibility to convert the penalty, and sent David De Gea the wrong way to put Der Rossoneri into the lead in the 86th minute. Despite making more opportunities to bury the game, Leão’s goal proved to be a vital goal as AC Milan collected maximum points and condemn Fiorentina to yet another defeat.
Fiorentina’s defeat against AC Milan means the wait for a 1st victory in the new Serie A season goes on, as they suffered their 4th defeat in their opening 7 games. They sit 18th, with 3pts after 7 games. Meanwhile, AC Milan collected their 5th victory of the season, and they sit at the summit of the Serie A standings with 16pts after their opening 7 games. Fiorentina’s current state of affairs has put the current manager, Stefano Pioli, under immense pressure. Will he take to the bench as Fiorentina boss, or will there be changes made by the club’s hierarchy? It remains to be seen…
Whilst AC Milan will not be making any European appearance as far the UEFA Champions/Europa League/Europa Conference League is concerned, they will prepare for their next match against Pisa this Friday, whilst Fiorentina will prepare for their UEFA Europa Conference League encounter away to Rapid Wien in Austria, before their next Serie A encounter against Bologna FC at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
AC Milan 2 – 1 Fiorentina
AC Milan – Rafael Leão (63’ and 86’)
Fiorentina – Robin Gosens (55’)
