Milan scores poker against Venezia and gets first victory
It was all easy for Milan who, within the friendly walls of the Meazza stadium, outclassed Venezia 4-0, gaining their first victory of this troubled start to the season. Excellent viaticum for the two matches that await Fonseca’s boys: Tuesday 17th Liverpool in the first Champions League match and Sunday 22nd the derby della Madonnina with Inter. In the standings the Rossoneri move to 5 points, climbing to eighth place, while the Venetians remain last with only one point. There is never a match, there is too much difference between the two teams with the hosts closing the match in the first half hour with goals from Theo, Fofana, Pulisic and Abraham, the latter two from penalties.
It’s a Rossoneri monologue from the first moments. The match is unlocked in the 2nd minute thanks to the two most talked about players in the last match before the break: Theo Hernandez recovers a high ball in the three-quarter line and serves Leao, who launches it with his heel into the area on the left. The French full-back digs in, enters the area and looks for the goal: the ball fools Joronen under his legs. In the 8th minute, a chance for the guests, Pohjanpalo receives a low cross from the left and can shoot freely from the height of the spot but hits it badly and wastes it all. In the 13th minute, Oristanio shoots with his left foot from 25 meters looking for Maignan’s second post: the ball goes wide, not by much. The doubling comes in the 16th minute: corner from the left, Fofana heads the ball to the near post, beating Joronen to make it 2-0, scoring his first goal in a Rossoneri shirt. In the 25th minute the home team scored the third goal. Abraham pounces on a shot from Reijnders that is parried by Joronen, who then brings him down, Di Marco has no doubts and awards the penalty. Pulisic sends Joronen the wrong way from 11 meters. The poker arrives in the 29th minute. Leao swerves to the left of the area towards the center, and goes down in contact with Schingtienne. Di Marco lets it go but then, at the VAR, notices a stamp on the number 10 of the Rossoneri, awards the penalty and cautions Schingtienne. Abraham scores his first goal in the Rossoneri jersey, surprising Joronen once again. Milan returns to scoring 4 goals in half an hour after more than 65 years, since October 19, 1958, against Alessandria. That day Schiaffino, Altafini and Danova had scored twice, all in the 20th minute.
In the 4th minute of the second half Loftus-Cheek recovers the ball by force and launches Leao towards goal: the Portuguese shoots into the area, well pressed by the last man of Venezia and Joronen saves. The game goes by without particular jolts with Milan not pushing on the accelerator and Venezia not having the strength to react. In the 19th minute double substitution for both teams. Morata and Okafor come in for Leao and Reijnders. Oristanio and Duncan out for Venezia, Doumbia and Yeboah in. In the 26th minute a goal is disallowed for the orange-black-greens. Zampano scores with a right foot in the area after a cross from the wing, but the VAR intervenes for a hard foul by Nicolussi Caviglia at the start of the action. Goal disallowed and a second yellow for the former Juventus player forced to leave the field leaving his team with ten men. After half an hour Abraham’s game ends, replaced by Musah. In the 34th minute Fonseca uses up all his substitutions: Chukwueze and the young Zeroli come in for Pulisic and Fofana. In Venezia Andersen and Raimondo for Busio and Pohjanpalo. The final minutes did not add anything to the match with both teams wearily waiting for Di Marco’s final whistle.
Milan, Fonseca: “We have to recover lost ground. I’ve already started thinking about Liverpool and Inter”
“We have to manage things in a calm and balanced way, always thinking about what is best for the team. – the words of AC Milan coach Paulo Fonseca to Sky -. If one day I think that Rafa or Theo are better off not playing, they have to understand it, as they did with Lazio. They are very important players, they showed it today. In a family, you never always agree, but the important thing is to do what is best for the team and that the players understand it”.
“Our championship does not start today, it started some time ago and we have to recover the lost ground – the Portuguese coach underlined -. It was certainly important to win in this way, also to restore the players’ confidence. We can talk about technique, tactics, but spirit and energy are fundamental. The work done on the pitch was important, but also that in the locker room”.
Now Liverpool, but above all the derby against Inter: “I have already started thinking about both Inter and Liverpool, I know how important it is for the fans, but I have to think about Liverpool first, which will be a great challenge. I have certainly already started looking at Inter and thinking about what we have to do. We are working to change the course of the last derbies.”
Fonseca on the pressure of the Italian championship: “Serie A is different from all the championships I’ve coached in, I try not to look too much at external pressures, but to stay focused only on my work. I don’t know if there’s more pressure here or in Rome, but this is definitely a club that always plays to win, there’s always pressure. If you don’t want it, do another job.”
Juventus slows down again, Empoli ends 0-0
Second consecutive 0-0 for Juventus who, after the goalless draw at home with Roma, also slowed down in Empoli. Bianconeri in control of the match for the most part but unable to capitalize on the opportunities created by Gatti, Vlahovic and Koopmeiners also due to the skill of the opposing goalkeeper Vazquez. Solid performance by the home team who defended with order and on a couple of occasions came close to scoring.
Juventus makes its presence felt in the 5th minute with Vlahovic shooting with his left footrejected for a corner by Ismajli. Three minutes later the Serbian striker tries again with his right foot: conclusion blocked for a corner. In the 12th minute chance for Empoli, Pezzella from the left crosses for Gyasi, decisive Kalulu diagonally puts the ball into the corner. In the quarter of an hour a long pass from Yildiz for Vlahovic who runs at speed towards the opponent’s penalty area, but is anticipated by a slide tackle from Ismajili. In the 20th minute a left-footed shot from Maleh from the edge of the penalty area but the shot is central and Perin saves without particular problems.
Great opportunity for Gatti in the 36th minute who heads the ball into the middle of the penalty area following a corner: Vasquez does well to deflect the ball into the corner. In the 39th minute, Koopmeiners tries to surprise Vasquez at the far post with a free kick from long range but the ball goes wide.
In the 5th minute of the second half, a chance for the guests: Nico Gonzalez serves Vlahovic, who shoots with his left foot towards Vasquez’s goal, the goalkeeper does a great job of parrying the shot with his right foot. In the 8th minute, a great opportunity for Koopmeiners who, assisted by Cambiaso, shoots with his left foot with Vasquez still doing well to defend his goal. In the 17th minute, the first cautioned player of the match: yellow card for Bremer for a foul on Esposito. A minute later, the first substitution of the match with Pellegri replacing Colombo. In the 22nd minute, a quadruple substitution for Motta: Fagioli, Thuram, Weah and Mbangula come on for Douglas Luiz, Locatelli, Gonzalez and Yildiz.
In the 28th minute the home team comes back to the fore with Grassi, who back-heeled by Pellegri, finishes towards the Juventus goal with Perin blocking the ball. In the 31st minute, double substitution for Empoli: Ekong and Anjorin for Grassi and Esposito. In the 35th minute, Cambiaso’s left-footed shot from distance is powerful but not precise. In the 42nd minute, Fagioli tries but his conclusion is deflected into a corner. In the 1st minute of injury time, Maleh tries to hit the second post from outside the area, with the ball going just wide. The last opportunity still falls to the Tuscans with Gyasi, Gatti does well to stop it in the corner.
Juventus, Motta: ‘Not the result we wanted but the performance is good’
“Today we didn’t concede any goals and that’s thanks to the whole team, just as creating chances is the task of the whole team, starting with our goalkeeper who did very well today. We had few opportunities but with the ones we had we could have taken the lead, it wasn’t the case. We go home with only one point and it’s clear that it’s not what we want, but the performance of the boys was a good performance, we must continue to grow”. Juventus coach Thiago Motta said this after the 0-0 draw at Empoli. “Yildiz too far out of the way? “Kenan playing as a winger against a team that defends with a five-man line – Motta explains to Dazn -. We have to open up the game especially on his side, with the physical strength he has, the dribbling he has. Today at times we did well, other times we could certainly have done better.
The Italian-Brazilian coach then comments on Dusan Vlahovic’s performance. “We have to serve him both in depth, because he is a player who attacks very well, with the right timing, and arriving laterally, on the cross, he is a player who attacks the penalty area very well, he attacks the ball well, he has a good header, there are mainly two ways in which we can feed him, so that he can score more goals for sure. It is clear that a striker lives for the goal, but he gives us so many other things, both in attack and in defense. He must stay focused, think only about playing, as he has done. At the moment I find him very good, a positive leader of the group, he must continue like this”.
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