TIME MACHINE: AC MILAN v NAPOLI

Matchday 5 and AC Milan and Napoli meet for a highly prestigious match. It is a game rich in history and glamour that in the last few years has become a top-of-the-table clash. It was also this way in 2010/11 when at San Siro, Allegri's Rossoneri, who is manager once again now, hosted Walter Mazzarri's Napoli, at the time when they were in a contest with us for the Serie A top spot. Our side, made up of stars like Zlatan Ibrahimović, Gattuso and Pato, sealed a top win in the race for the Scudetto which we then won at the end of the season.

On 28 February 2011, San Siro was set up for a Monday night clash between AC Milan and Napoli, the standout game of Matchday 27. The Rossoneri, under Massimiliano Allegri, knew they had a golden chance to extend their lead at the top. The first half was played at a high tempo, but with few real chances: Mazzarri's Napoli were compact and closed the spaces well, while AC Milan were trying to rely on the talent of their forwards. The chance that broke the deadlock came in the first minutes of the second half, but in the first 45 you could already see the Rossoneri passion, orchestrated by a solid midfield of Gattuso, Van Bommel and Flamini as well as the fantastic attack made up of Ibra, Pato and Robinho. Zlatan, without having his best showing, was always an option, forcing Aronica into constant close marking. De Sanctis' defence of his net lasted until the break: 0-0, but it was never going to stay that way.

As soon as the whistle blew, AC Milan pushed on and found the opener: in the 49th minute, Flamini's cross struck Aronica's arm, and a penalty was awarded. From the spot, Ibrahimović kept his cool and made it 1-0, beating De Sanctis. Napoli tried to react, but the Rossoneri just kept pushing. In the 77th minute, Kevin-Prince Boateng came on and it took him just five minutes to make his mark: Pato found him in the area and he made it 2-0. Just five minutes later, the game was truly sealed. Pato launched a counter-attack and found himself in a 1v2 with Aronica and Zúñiga: the defenders were scrambling backwards, and he carried the ball past the midfield, getting to the edge of the box, curling it home to make it 3-0. That was the knockout blow. It was a dominant performance that proved the technical and mental superiority of that AC Milan side, on their way to winning their 18th Scudetto in May of that year.

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