Ruben Loftus Cheek – Dusan Vlahovic (photo Lapresse)
Milan-Bologna 2-2, Loftus-Cheek's brace and two missed penalties are not enough
A bit of a crazy match at San Siro with Milan and Bologna sharing the game. The match ends 2-2 with Bologna taking the lead first with Zirkzee and then Milan turning it around with a brace from Loftus-Cheek. The Rossoneri missed two penalties with Giroud (with Thiago Motta sent off for protests) and Hernandez, while Orsolini scored the one awarded to the Rossoblu in the final to make the final 2-2. With this result, Pioli's team rises to 46 points, firmly in third place, while Bologna reaches 33 points and momentarily catches up with Lazio.
Balanced and fought half in the first half, very tactical especially in the first part with Bologna always ready to double their lead and not concede spaces. Then Zirkzee on the restart broke the deadlock in the 29th minute after persistent action. Milan began to press with greater intensity and in the 42nd minute referee Massa awarded a penalty for an alleged dangerous play by Ferguson on Kjaer, which was contested at length by the Bologna players and by coach Thiago Motta who was sent off for protests. However, Giroud wasted the opportunity to equalize from the penalty spot. A few minutes pass and in the 45th minute Loftus-Cheek manages to equalize with an undersized deflection following an assist from Calabria.
Bologna started the second half well and in the 49th minute, following a cross from Fabbian, Zirkzee controls the area, passes Kjaer and Gabbia but sends it high in front of Maignan. The match is open and in the 64th minute an opportunity arrives for Pioli's team: from a corner Reijnders places a right-footed shot from the edge but the ball hits the top corner. In the 74th minute another penalty missed by the Rossoneri. The penalty awarded for a foul on Leao by Beukema. This time Theo Hernandez goes to the spot but he hits the post and then scores irregularly. Bologna begins to falter and in the 83rd minute Milan doubles their lead: Florenzi crosses softly from the back, Loftus-Cheek soars into the area, bending Skorupski's hands for the 2-1. It seems over but the rossoblu immediately look for an equalizer and in the 92nd minute they find it with a penalty, awarded after the intervention of the VAR due to an evident hold by Terracciano on Kristansen two steps from the goal. Orsolini takes the spot and makes no mistakes and gives Bologna a point.
Milan-Bologna, Pioli: “I regret not having won the match. The match must teach us that you cannot lose your attention in the defensive phase”
“We leave with the regret of not having won the match – the words of Milan coach Stefano Pioli to Sky after the 2-2 draw at home against Bologna –. It's true that there were two missed penalties, but we had many chances even though we conceded a few to an excellent Bologna. This evening must teach us that you cannot lose your attention in the defensive phase, as in the last action of the penalty. We were ten players inside the area, we didn't help Theo in the second goal and we didn't read the insertion well. It's a shame because we performed well. It was a very important match to win. Inter and Juventus? We look at ourselves and we are clearly not happy. There were many things in a hypothetical victory… It was a difficult match where we played and recovered. There were many positive things, but we showed that we still have to grow in other areas. It would have been all positive until the 92nd.”
Pioli analyzes Milan's performance. “If the match had ended 2-1, despite the errors, our confidence and belief would have been different. It would have been another victory that gave us more morale and better standings. Then the performance was there, God forbid , but we must try to match the performances with the results. We regret not having succeeded and it is right that we analyze all the details. In the second half, apart from the opportunity at the beginning, we played better than the first, conceding very little. However, the matches end in the 92nd or 95th. This will be a new lesson for our future.”
The Milan coach explains the two missed penalties. “It's clear that Giroud and Theo are excellent penalty takers. Unfortunately, tonight wasn't their night. Leao told me that he'll take the next penalty. He doesn't score many in training but maybe in the match…”.
The Bologna striker, Zirkzee, beyond a missed goal, confirmed all his talent under the spotlights of San Siro: “He's a great player. I've followed him since his days at Bayern Munich and then at my Parma. A fantastic player, with physicality and quality. He has everything. He's doing very well at Bologna.”
Serie A, Milan-Bologna stops in the 16th minute for Maignan, San Siro illuminated by smartphones
In the 16th minute of Milan-Bologna the match referee stopped the game for Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who was the subject of racist chants in the match against Udinese. The entire stadium participated, standing up and turning on the torches of their smartphones, illuminating the San Siro stadium in support of the goalkeeper. The initiative was organized by Milan to keep sensitivity and attention high on the issue of discrimination and racism. A famous phrase by Martin Luther King then appeared on the big screens: “Darkness cannot drive away darkness, only light can do so.”
Serie A, Juventus-Empoli 1-1, Baldanzi responds to Vlahovic
Empoli holds Juventus to a 1-1 draw at the Stadium. Allegri's team thus reaches 53 points, +2 over Inter who, however, still have two matches to play. An opportunity missed by the Bianconeri, who were however left with ten men from the 18th minute due to Milik's expulsion, before the big match against the Nerazzurri next Sunday at San Siro. Empoli, however, immediately felt the effects of Nicola's treatment. After the three important points with the 3-0 victory over Monza, the draw arrived in Turin with the Bianconeri. The Tuscans thus rise to 17 points, catching Verona in the penultimate position in the standings.
For the match at the Stadium, Allegri is already thinking about the next big match with Inter and leaves Danilo out, on a booking, to give space to Alex Sandro. Up front, the new addition is Milik who takes Yildiz's place alongside Vlahovic in attack. In midfield McKennie with Locatelli and Miretti. Nicola instead recovers Baldanzi who however starts from the bench, Cerri plays forward with Cambiaghi.
Juve immediately goes forward and in the 6th minute Vlahovic tries with a free kick from twenty meters, which Caprile sends into the corner. Allegri's team seems in control but in the 18th minute the match changes. Red card for Milik for sliding into Cerri. Marinelli pulls him out after he is called back to the VAR. Empoli, with a one-man advantage, begins to have possession of the ball and in the 26th minute Cambiaghi tries from distance but Szczesny is careful. In the 42nd minute, a free kick from the midfield for Empoli with Maleh shooting a cross, Gyasi intercepts the ball but sends it wide. In the 47th minute, a colossal opportunity for JUventus: an error in setting by Gyasi who serves Miretti, but the midfielder enters the area and shoots high over the crossbar in front of the goalkeeper.
At the beginning of the second half Juve entered the field convinced despite their inferiority and in the 50th minute they took the lead: from a corner kick Gatti intercepted the ball with his head which bounced off Ismajli's back and reached Vlahovic who made no mistake and made it 1-0. Nicola changes and sends Baldanzi and Cancellieri onto the field for a more mobile attack. Juve retreats and Empoli advances. In the 69th minute Cambiaghi puts a soft ball into the area from the back and Cancellieri heads it just wide. The goal is in the air and arrives in the 70th minute with Luperto who at the limit passes for Baldanzi who controls and kicks a low shot which goes into the corner to the left of Szczesny to make it 1-1. In the 78th minute Juventus complains of a penalty for an alleged handball in the penalty area by Ismajli who isn't there and on Empoli's restart Cambiaghi serves Cancellieri in depth who is recovered by Weah in the area. Allegri looks for a new attack and inserts Yildiz and Iling Junior. In the 82nd minute Nicola's team once again became dangerous with Zurkowski serving Cambiaghi, whose shot was put in the corner by Szczesny. Even in injury time, Juve didn't break through and in fact took another risk at the end but ended 1-1.
Juventus-Empoli, Allegri: 'Expulsion complicated plans, the boys played a good game'
“The feeling is that the team played a good game, there were 10 of us left after a quarter of an hour, we didn't fall apart, on the contrary we tried to win this match, we had two favorable situations in the first half, in the second half we immediately took the lead, then there was another ball where Cambiaso slipped and could have shot without fail, but this is football.” Juventus coach Max Alegri explained to Dazn after the 1-1 home draw with Empoli, achieved despite the numerical inferiority due to Milik's expulsion in the 18th minute of the first half. “You can't win every match, sorry, the boys played a good match and let's say that there was the unforeseen expulsion which complicated our plans a bit”, added the Juventus coach. “Milik's naivety? It's not a question of naivety, these are things that happen in football, it's unfortunate because there were still ten of us left, but Milik was coming off good performances in the Italian Cup and in the championship when he entered. Today with Empoli closed we needed a little more physicality in the area to close out some crosses. That wasn't the case, but we did well because we extended our streak and losing at home would have hurt us much more.”
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