Milan continued their unbeaten run this evening, taking the tally up to 22 games, but will be frustrated not to have secured the win. Roma came back from behind three times and the game was ultimately tainted by horrible refereeing, with two non-existent penalties awarded to change the course of the game.
Stefano Pioli’s men started the game in the best way possible as Rafael Leao gound Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a lovely pass. The Swede got there before Antonio Mirante and didn’t need another touch to score the goal, giving his side the lead after less than two minutes played.
However, in the 14th minute, Ciprian Tatarusanu completely misjudged a corner and allowed Edin Dzeko to head in the equaliser. The Romanian international replaced Gigio Donnarumma, who tested positive for COVID-19, and certainly didn’t make a good first impression for his new club.
Milan had several chances to restore the lead in the first half, including a Simon Kjaer header that hit the post, but couldn’t find the back of the net before the interval. They were certainly in control of the game, though, unlucky to have even conceded in the first place.
Just like in the first half, it didn’t take long for the Rossoneri to get going as Alexis Saelemaekers found himself in a great position. He made no mistakes with the finish, thanking Leao for what was a fantastic build-up to the goal. Indeed, the Portuguese youngster certainly impressed this evening.
Milan seemed to be in good control of the game, not letting many attempts past the backline, while also trying to extend the lead on the counter. However, in the 69th minute, referee Piero Giacomelli awarded a penalty to Roma after what was a clear stamp on Ismael Bennacer.
The Rossoneri players rightfully protested the decision and though the replays were clear, Giacomelli opted not to check VAR. This was just the start of his horrible performance and it completely threw Milan’s control out the window. Jordan Veretout converted the penalty and thus equalised.
Six minutes later, Gianluca Mancini handled the ball in the box and instead of letting the play continues (to later check VAR), the referee awarded a free-kick to Rom and gave Ibrahimovic a yellow card. Milan were, however, compensated just a few minutes layer with another shocking call.
Hakan Calhanoglu was brought down in the box by Mancini, but it clearly wasn’t a foul worthy of a penalty. Giacomelli, though, pointed to the spot and once again didn’t check VAR. Perhaps, he realised that he had made a big mistake on the first penalty, but if not this is inexplicable.
Ibrahimovic stepped up and safely converted the penalty, at which point it seemed Milan would claim the three points as we thought when the scores were 2-1. But as said, the home side were thrown off by the first penalty call and couldn’t keep the lead for many minutes.
With six minutes to go, Marash Kumbulla turned up at the back post and Roma once again punished Milan on a set-piece. Poor defending, perhaps, as Ibrahimovic missed his kick at the first post while the Giallorossi defender was allowed to roam free in a dangerous position.
The Rossoneri did get one more chance, in the dying seconds of the game, as Calhanoglu picked out Alessio Romagnoli on the corner. The defender failed to hit the target from close range and the game ended 3-3. Very frustrating indeed, and although a point isn’t bad, they deserved to win.
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