UDINESE UNDONE BY UNBEATEN DIAVOLO
Serie A
A work of art. From nothing, breaking the deadlock that seemed destined to endure until full-time. The artist Ibrahimović can still surprise us; in the 84th minute of the game in Udine, his acrobatics lead AC Milan to their fifth win in their first six games in the league this season. In a difficult game against a well-organised opponent, the stamp of a perennial champion was required to maintain top spot in Serie A.
It ended 2-1 to AC Milan at the Dacia Arena. After Kessie had put the Rossoneri in the lead in the first half, assisted by the mercurial Swede, De Paul equalised from the spot just after the break. Then, Ibra got his seventh goal in four games, which changed the game in our favour. Zlatan has now scored in six consecutive Serie A games, the last AC Milan players to go on such a run were Andriy Shevchenko in 2001 and Ibra himself in 2012. Our winning run restarts after the draw with Roma as we maintain our lead at the top of the table with 16 points from six games. Now, we look to a clash with Lille in the Europa League (Thursday at 21:00 CET at San Siro), before a home game in Serie A against Hellas Verona on Sunday (20:45 CET).
MATCH REPORT
Udinese looked to push from the off and Deulofeu forced Donnarumma into a save, then Samir flashed wide. AC Milan were dangerous with Saelemaekers drifting inside into a more central role, fed by Leão, the Belgian took on a shot from a good position, but it flew off target. The opener for AC Milan was not far behind. Zlatan took down Çalhanoğlu's switch with grace and ease before serving the onrushing Kessie. The Ivorian's powerful strike hit the bottom of the bar and nestled in the back of the net: 1-0 to the Rossoneri. The Friuli side immediately created a chance to equalise: Pereyra dispossessed Kessie in midfield and set off towards Donnarumma's goal. He fed Deulofeu, whose shot went high over the bar. The hosts ramped up the pressure with a series of corners but, on our side, Zlatan tested Musso with a fantastic right-footed effort.
The second half began with Romagnoli bringing Pussetto down in the box, earning the home side a penalty. After the protests from the men from Milan, De Paul stepped up and slotted home: 1-1. The Rossoneri wrested control of proceedings from the Bianconeri and won two quick corners, though were unable to make the most of them. After a raft of changes and an even contest, Ibra's overhead kick six minutes from full-time won it for the Rossoneri. Following Rebić's cross, Zlatan had a moment of acrobatic genius that caught Musso off guard and put AC Milan back in front.
MATCH DETAILS
UDINESE 1-2 AC MILAN
Udinese (4-3-3): Musso; Stryger Larsen (82' Bonifazi), De Maio, Becão, Samir; De Paul, Arslan (63' Makengo), Pereyra (82' Forestieri); Pussetto, Okaka (71' Lasagna), Deulofeu (71' Ouwejan). Subs.: Scuffet; Gasparini, Molina, Nuytinck, Zeegelaar, Ter Avest, Nestorovski. Coach: Gotti.
AC Milan (4-2-3-1): G. Donnarumma; Calabria (71' Dalot), Kjær, Romagnoli, Hernández; Bennacer (57' Tonali), Kessie; Saelemaekers (57' Díaz), Çalhanoğlu (89' Krunić), Leão (71' Rebić); Ibrahimović. Subs.: A. Donnarumma, Tătărușanu; Conti, Duarte, Kalulu; Hauge; Maldini. Coach: Pioli.
Referee: Di Bello from Brindisi.
Booked: 13' Hernández (M), 23' Becão (U), 39' Arslan (U), 49' G. Donnarumma (M).
Goal: 18' Kessie (M), 48' rig. De Paul (U), 84' Ibrahimović (M).
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