Milan grabbed their first official win of the season this evening as Hakan Calhanoglu and Zlatan Ibrahimovic delivered once again. The duo was essential for the Rossoneri towards the end of last season, registering many points between them, and it looks like this will be the case this term as well.
Stefano Pioli’s side was, obviously, the favourites heading into tonight’s game. Although Shamrock Rovers are sitting first in the Irish league, it’s an opponent that Milan should beat quite easily on paper. And just like expected, they managed to seal their ticket to the third round of the Europa League qualifiers.
The Rossoneri dominated possession for most of the game, especially in the first half, and scored the opener after 23 minutes. Ibrahimovic and Calhanoglu combined as the former found himself in a very good position, firing the ball past the goalkeeper with a smart and powerful finish.
The home side, as you would expect, were full of energy and did close down a lot of space. This resulted in Milan passing the ball around a lot, just waiting for any mistakes from Rovers to pounce on. That being said, the latter were certainly up for the game and had a few sequences, but nothing more than that.
No more goals were scored in the first half, although the Rossoneri had more than one chance to double their lead. In the early minutes of the last 45, Calhanoglu hit the bar with a looping effort, attempting a bicycle kick after once again combining with Ibrahimovic for a chance.
The Turk did eventually get his goal, though, finding some space on the edge of the box. Alexis Saelemaekers, who was a bit disappointing this evening, picked out the No.10 and the latter made no mistakes with the finish, which wasn’t that easy from a technical point of view. 2-0 to Milan, and so the game was decided.
Pioli brought on the likes of Rade Krunic, Sandro Tonali and Brahim Diaz before the end of the game, but the Rossoneri didn’t really create any more clear-cut chances. In other words, it was a game that was carried out with great professionalism by the Rossoneri, who now will have to prepare for the Serie A opener.
Tonight’s win will, inevitable, be a nice confidence boost for the team and a chance to analyze what can be done better on Monday evening. Bologna will inarguably be tougher to face, but at least the Rossoneri have warmed up with a game that actually matters from a competitive point of view.
The return of Ante Rebic (suspended in Europa League) could also help the Rossoneri a lot, as Saelemaekers failed to embrace the left-wing role. Alessio Romagnoli, however, will miss the game but Milan are hoping to have him ready for the second league game of the season.
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