With Donnarumma in goal and a referee other than Giacomelli, Milan would have won because Tatarusanu opened the door wide to Dzeko’s goal and did not hold back Mkhitaryan’s shot from which the 2-2 penalty was born. In the second episode, in addition to the goalkeeper’s mistake, the referee also made a mistake who whistled a foul by Bennacer, in clear advance, on Pedro, guilty instead of stepping on the opponent’s foot. The Var Nasca, badly assisted by Vivenzi, did not object and Veretout made a draw from the spot.
So Milan, who came back with a penalty from Ibra (Mancini’s foul on Calhanoglu is also doubtful), he was eventually reached by Plums (badly, goals aside) a game he deserved to win (even a Kjaer pole). To justify the reasoning, the two head shots (88 ‘and 94’) that led before Kessie (rejected by Mirante) and then Romagnoli (out of a breath) one step away from 4-3.
Beautiful and unrepeatable match with Milan ahead at the beginning of the two halves and then joined by a Roma that never gave up on the maneuver and had the strength to start over each time with patience and courage. Of course, without the help, certainly involuntary, of Tatarusanu and Giacomelli, as well as a saving pole, he would have lost. But football is also this: just think that in the action of the definitive draw, that of Kumbulla, the mistake, at the first post, was made by Ibrahimovic, among the best in the absolute sense together with Leao. If the Swede scored the usual double, his protégé has packaged two assists of the first magnitude.
No escape, therefore, for Pioli’s men and for his unleashed band. I lost the first two points on the road in a start made up of only victories. However, the lonely first place remains with two points of margin over Sassuolo and Napoli, three over Inter. That’s okay too because Milan is not the team with the obligation to win the Scudetto, however, regret that a beautiful match was marred by a colossal – and yet still remediable – error by the referee and by another decision, in the Roma area, which would have needed the Var’s approval.
But – we said it – in Milan-Rome, under the freezing rain of a deserted San Siro, everyone was wrong. To begin Plums who, after one minute and 48 ”, missed Leao’s delicious ball for Ibra, giving the Rossoneri the first goal. He continued Tătăruşanu, inadequate substitute for Donnarumma, completely failing the smanacciata on the parable from a corner kick by Lorenzo Pellegrini (winning head of Dzeko against Romagnoli). AC Milan then tried it with a long shot by Calhanoglu and, just before half an hour, with close headers by Romagnoli (angel flight from Mirante, a goalkeeper who parried) and Kjaer (post on the left) goalkeeper without Leao being able to deflect into the net).
In truth, the unfortunate Tatarusanu, fasting for official races for nine months, made a decent parade, on a shot by Pellegrini, after ball lost by Leao. Before the rest, do it on Ibra from the edge, beat Calhanoglu and Mirante deflects with the dexterity of a cat.
We said some mistakes and the start of recovery showed the first. It was made by Karsdorp who was overtaken by Leao’s speed as if it were a pole planted on the right, the left of the Milan attack. Leao did everything very well and once he got to the bottom he put in, low and dry, for the inside foot of Saelemaekers. Told about the mess still made by Tatarusanu, in league with the referee Giacomelli (sensational oversight and sensationally incorrect because it is Pedro who stepped on Bennacer’s foot ahead of him), in the 69th minute, it remains to be said of the clumsy attempt to reject Mancini who, however, had the mistake of crossing Calhanoglu’s legs, obtaining the penalty for Milan (again Ibra).
The Rossoneri advantage was correct and legitimate. But it was written – and it was also perceived a little in the air of a copiously gloomy evening – that it should be a draw with the hand, this time clumsy, of the best in the field, that is Ibrahimovic. Kumbulla redeemed his game as gray as the rain on the Milan night.
TABLE
Milan-Roma 3-3 (first half 1-1)
Marcatori: 2 ‘, 34’ st pt Ibrahimovic (Mil), 15 ‘pt Dzeko, 2’ st Saelemaekers (Mil), 24 ‘st rig. Veretout, 38 ‘st Kumbulla (Rom)
Assist: 2 ‘pt Leao (Mil), 15’ pt Pellegrini (Rom), 2 ‘st Leao (Mil)
MILAN (4-2-3-1): Tatarusanu; Calabria, Kjaer, Romagnoli, Theo Hernandez; Kessie, Bennacer; Saelemaekers (from 27 ‘st Krunic), Calhanoglu, Leao (from 27’ Castillejo); Ibrahimovic. Available: A. Donnarumma, Jungdal, Conti, Dalot, Duarte, Kalulu, Castillejo, Díaz, Krunić, Tonali, Colombo, Maldini. Coach: Stefano Pioli.
ROME (3-4-2-1): Mirante; Ibanez, Mancini, Kumbulla; Karsdorp (from 22 ‘st Bruno Peres), Veretout (from 41’ st Villar), Pellegrini (from 36 ‘st Cristante), Spinazzola; Pedro, Mkhitaryan; Dzeko. Available: Farelli, Pau López, Juan Jesus, Santon, Fazio, Bruno Peres, Villar, Mayoral, Providence. All. Fonseca
Bookings: 24 ‘st Leao (Mi), 30’ st Ibrahimovic (Mil), 32’st Pedro (Rom), 35’st Cristante (Rom), 37 ‘st Hernandez (Mil)
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