Milan were high on confidence heading into tonight’s clash against Udinese, having beaten Roma at the weekend. In other words, they were in a good position to build on the positive moment but fell short at San Siro, failing to break down the away side enough to claim all three points.
From the start, the face of the game was very clear as Milan dominated possession for the entire first-half, with Udinese sitting back and defending with all of their men. And without the likes of Hakan Calhanoglu and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Rossoneri really struggled to find space and create chances.
Besides a few half-chances, including a good run by Samu Castillejo, Milan didn’t really threaten their opponents and it was clear that the night would be a frustrating one. It actually got a tad worse in the second half, as Udinese managed to find some energy and suddenly were playing quite well when in possession.
Alessio Romagnoli was back in the starting eleven this evening and got his revenge in the 48th minute, making a crucial goal-line clearance to deny the away side a certain goal. In addition to this, he also played quite well and was important for the Rossoneri at the back, along with Simon Kjaer.
However, the goal that Milan conceded could have certainly been avoided as Gigio Donnarumma let past a rather weak header. Rodrigo Becao won the aerial duel against both Romagnoli and Hernandez but his effort wasn’t really that good, only ending up in the back of the net because the goalkeeper’s view was compromised.
This forced Stefano Pioli’s men to go forward with a lot more purpose but as was the case for the entire game, they struggled to create chances and it was all very frustrating to watch. With just a few seconds left on the clock, a cross was sent into the box and Udinese defender Stryger-Larsen completely lost his head, handling the ball.
The referee pointed to the spot straight away and as Franck Kessie stepped up, Milan managed to collect one point from the game. Certainly lucky considering how the game panned out, but it’s also worth noting that Udinese didn’t deserve to win the game. They had just two shots on target and mostly defender.
Either way, it’s two points dropped for Milan and they will feel very disappointed as they had the game in their hands from start to finish. In order to fight for the Scudetto, you need to win games like these and Inter could extend the gap to seven points tomorrow, as they will take on Parma. Furthermore, Juventus are now just four points behind.
The Bianconeri have a game in hand, as we all know, and the race for a top-four finish is certainly getting closer. On Sunday afternoon, Milan will take on Hellas Verona in what will be a very tough away game, especially if you consider how well the Bentegodi side have done this season.
How well do you know Italian football? Do you want to battle the best Serie A Fantasy Managers? Play fantasyseriea.com now!
To leave a comment, you must be logged into www.eurofantasyleague.com