AC Milan 1 Cagliari 0
After the disappointing draw in mid-week, Ancelloti's neck was on the guillotine. A result again high-flying Cagliari had become something of a necessity to save the face of the coach and the club. What pleased me the most was the attitude of intolerance that the fans were putting up. Finally the Rossoneri faithful are coming of age.
Ancelloti had rested some important players for the midweek clash, against Bremen. This was a brave decison that Ancelloti had taken, considering how daunting the task ahead was. Cagliari had earned a reputation, and probably a tribute, by their standards, over the course of the season. The tag they had earned was that of being giant killers. Something they wanted to put to effect against Milan.
Rossoneri started brightly. They seemed in an offensive mood, and Inzaghi had Milan's first chance as he volleyed Pirlo's long ball only to be denied by Marchetti. Roberto Aquafresca had Cagliari's best chance yet and he failed to do what would have impressed his Nerrazuri bosses-score. 5 minutes later, Inzaghi found himself in an offside position, after a wonderful throughball from Seedorf was slotted home by the Italian poacher, only to be ruled out, correctly. Amidst all the Milanese attack, it was the visitors having the better chances. Jeda's ball to Aquafresca had a dissapointing ending. The close range header dint give the away side the lead. Inzaghi was put in a good position by Beckham but some poor finishing kept the scores even. An error from Flamini gave the away side a great chance of scoring, and if not for Abbiati's heroics, it could have been a goal.
Cossu, who ended the first half well, started the second on the same note. A blunder from Maldini had Cossu going for goal, but his effort deflected off the crossbar. Milan dominated possession all over the park, but since they had Inzaghi as their striker, decisive finishing seemed alien to their game. 65 minutes into the match, Milan's long ball strategy finally paid off, as a miscommunication in the Isolani defense gave Seedorf a possibility to redeem his pride and he did so as he tucked the ball into the back of the net. Not much activity is worth mentioning post the goal as the rest of the game was a memento of wasting time. Save one incident, where tempers flared as Beckham and Fini decided to have a go at one another. Some backlashing and some negotiating ended with a flurry of yellow cards. Milan persisted to hold out the lead, and walked away with 3 points.
This performance was heartwarming. We dint decide to sit back on a creaky defense, but held on to the ball, and attacked at every given opportunity. We put out a near second string side, and still got the better of Allegri's team. Lets not undermine the opposition. They have had a fantastic season and are a sniff away from a Europa League spot. Flamini's disastrous performance might relegate him to the bench again. Pippo showed why he hates the word 'dependable'. Seedorf was fine. Same cannot be said of Beckham whose blistering performances have now become a lingering memory. Jankulovski was a work dog in midfield, and defense stood well. No pun intended. But the hero was Pirlo, who seemed like he was possesed. His performance was world class, to say the least. He went into tackles so uncharacteristically. His passing was precise, and his work rate commendable. Kudos to the old men from Milan. They showed they have the mettle. It just needs to be sharpened.
Video Highlights - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3Z4LHtARQ4
Goalscorers -
Milan - Seedorf (65')
Cagliari - none
Ancelloti had rested some important players for the midweek clash, against Bremen. This was a brave decison that Ancelloti had taken, considering how daunting the task ahead was. Cagliari had earned a reputation, and probably a tribute, by their standards, over the course of the season. The tag they had earned was that of being giant killers. Something they wanted to put to effect against Milan.
Rossoneri started brightly. They seemed in an offensive mood, and Inzaghi had Milan's first chance as he volleyed Pirlo's long ball only to be denied by Marchetti. Roberto Aquafresca had Cagliari's best chance yet and he failed to do what would have impressed his Nerrazuri bosses-score. 5 minutes later, Inzaghi found himself in an offside position, after a wonderful throughball from Seedorf was slotted home by the Italian poacher, only to be ruled out, correctly. Amidst all the Milanese attack, it was the visitors having the better chances. Jeda's ball to Aquafresca had a dissapointing ending. The close range header dint give the away side the lead. Inzaghi was put in a good position by Beckham but some poor finishing kept the scores even. An error from Flamini gave the away side a great chance of scoring, and if not for Abbiati's heroics, it could have been a goal.
Cossu, who ended the first half well, started the second on the same note. A blunder from Maldini had Cossu going for goal, but his effort deflected off the crossbar. Milan dominated possession all over the park, but since they had Inzaghi as their striker, decisive finishing seemed alien to their game. 65 minutes into the match, Milan's long ball strategy finally paid off, as a miscommunication in the Isolani defense gave Seedorf a possibility to redeem his pride and he did so as he tucked the ball into the back of the net. Not much activity is worth mentioning post the goal as the rest of the game was a memento of wasting time. Save one incident, where tempers flared as Beckham and Fini decided to have a go at one another. Some backlashing and some negotiating ended with a flurry of yellow cards. Milan persisted to hold out the lead, and walked away with 3 points.
This performance was heartwarming. We dint decide to sit back on a creaky defense, but held on to the ball, and attacked at every given opportunity. We put out a near second string side, and still got the better of Allegri's team. Lets not undermine the opposition. They have had a fantastic season and are a sniff away from a Europa League spot. Flamini's disastrous performance might relegate him to the bench again. Pippo showed why he hates the word 'dependable'. Seedorf was fine. Same cannot be said of Beckham whose blistering performances have now become a lingering memory. Jankulovski was a work dog in midfield, and defense stood well. No pun intended. But the hero was Pirlo, who seemed like he was possesed. His performance was world class, to say the least. He went into tackles so uncharacteristically. His passing was precise, and his work rate commendable. Kudos to the old men from Milan. They showed they have the mettle. It just needs to be sharpened.
Video Highlights - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3Z4LHtARQ4
Goalscorers -
Milan - Seedorf (65')
Cagliari - none
2 comments:
Yo Rajat, seems like a sad day for AC Milan. I guess no silverware this season and on top of which Inter should win the league. Tough luck bro.
Recommendation: No more "AC Milan here after" rather "Manchester United here after". How about that?
Cheers
Zafar
Hey Zafar, sorry mate, checked your post right now. I dont get notifications for comments, you know how to do that?
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