#TBT: AC MILAN BRACES

At the start of Autumn in 1997, Fabio Capello did his all to add Leonardo to his side. In order to prise him from PSG and to boost the quality of the side. After his arrival from Paris, Don Fabio picked him immediately but there were issues. Not with Leonardo but with the balance of the side which had little identity and little chemistry and defeats followed against Udinese and Lecce. It was therefore not enough for Leonardo to have simply joined Milan, he needed to take responsibility. 

This all happened on 9 November 1997 in the first good moment of the 1997-98 season for Milan. Following the home defeat against Lecce and after the break, the Rossoneri were able to put in an excellent performance away at Genoa and win 3-0. The side then had to build on it at home to Brescia and Leonardo came to the fore. In the 7th and 25th minutes of the first half, the Brazilian scored a brace as Milan went on to win 2-1. It would take almost seven years before a Rossoneri forward would score two against Brescia at San Siro. 

In May 2004, a goal in each half from Jon Dahl Tomasson saw Milan triumph 4-2 against Brescia on the final matchday of the 2003-04 season. It was a night of celebration after winning the Scudetto, but also an opportunity to bid farewell to both Brescia’s Roberto Baggio and Fernando Redondo. The Danish striker’s second goal, a powerful looping header, ricocheted back off the post for Kaká to tap home. The ball had already crossed the line however, something Tomasson wasted no time reminding people upon his return to the bench after being substituted: “That was mine, that was mine”. 

He was right, it was his. Another brace against Brescia two years later – but this time an ‘Italian’ one in the Coppa Italia. It was the second year in a row that Marek Hamšík had faced AC Milan in the cup as a Brescia player. On 08 November 2006, the Rossoneri won 4-2 at the San Siro, despite the fact that Brescia were leading 2-0 with an hour of the match gone. The final half hour saw an impressive turnaround, with Marco Borriello scoring twice and Brocchi and Inzaghi also finding the back of the net.

Remember that season tickets are still on sale for the 2019-20 season. Tickets are also available for AC Milan v Brescia, AC Milan v Fiorentina and AC Milan v Inter.