PRIMAVERA TIM CUP: AC MILAN INTO THE QUARTERS
Youth Teams
Heart, grit, dedication and a tactical masterclass. Coach Giunti’s Primavera side overcame Torino with these attributes, flying through to the quarter-finals of this year’s Coppa Italia. A hard-fought victory won only on penalties in the end, with seven spot kicks taken by each side, the Granata falling down as Marcos Lopez’s effort struck the crossbar. The game at the Stadio Pozzo in Biella was full of life, with two teams who tried everything to progress to the next round. However, it was our boys who came out on top, and having already knocked out Sampdoria and Spezia, they added Torino to that list, now waiting to see who they will face out of Fiorentina and Genoa in the next stage of their Coppa Italia dream.
CHECK OUT THE GALLERY FROM THE MATCH
MATCH REPORT
The awful condition of the pitch made the game all about tactics, stopping any real flow to the play. The first chance fell to Pecorino after half an hour as he couldn’t quite find the target on the back of Oddi’s cross in from the left. Milan kept pushing towards the end of the half, Brambilla dancing into the penalty area but failing to find anyone with his cross. Torino began to test Soncin in the second half, going close through Gonella and Onisa without any success thanks to our shot-stopper’s great efforts. Brescianini had a go from the edge of the area with five minutes to play but it flew the wrong side of Trombini’s near post. The game progressed into extra time, with big chances falling to Kone, Sala and Mionic, but it wasn’t to be and the winner was to be decided on penalties. Milan took seven, scored seven, and it was Marcos Lopez’s spot kick smashed against the crossbar that sent the Rossoneri through to the last eight of the competition.
POST-MATCH REACTIONS
Coach Giunti said the following after the game: “I think that the state of the pitch punished both teams. We did well, I’m happy with the result. We don't concede many goals and a lot of the credit for that has to go to our attackers. We have a great squad with a lot of boys who are constantly improving. Now we’ll rest a bit, then we’ll have to be good at getting ready for the second part of the season.” In addition to the Rossoneri Coach, skipper Marco Brescianini was also satisfied: “It was a test of character. We’re doing well fitness-wise and we proved that today.”
TORINO 0-0 AC MILAN (AC Milan win 7-6 on penalties)
TORINO (3-5-2): Trombini; Siniega, Marcos Lopez, Enrici; Kouadio, Rotella (83' Greco), Onisa (91' Sandri), Gonella (89' Kone), Munari (91' Ricossa, 117' Moreo); Garetto, Ibrahimi. Substitutes: Lewis, Celesia, Michelotti, Snidarcig, Bongiovanni, Caon, Pirola. Coach: Sesia.
AC MILAN (4-3-1-2): Soncin, Barazzetta (100' Bosisio), Potop, Michelis, Oddi, Brescianini, Brambilla (97' Frigerio), Sala, Maldini (71' Mionic), Pecorino (97' Olzer), Capanni (71' Tonin). Substitutes: Jungdal, Stanga, Merletti, Tahar, Haidara, Capone, Moleri. Coach: Giunti.
Referee: Donda from Gradisca d'Isonzo.
Bookings: 45' Maldini (M), 71' Onisa (T), 81' Ibrahimi (T), 102' Potop (M), 107' Olzer (M), 111' Kouadio (T), 117' Sandri (T).
Penalties: Michelis (M) goal, Garetto (T) goal, Olzer (M) goal, Sandri (T) goal, Mionic (M) goal, Moreo (T) goal, Brescianini (M) goal, Greco (T) goal, Sala (M) goal, Ibrahimi (T) goal, Frigerio (M) goal, Siniega (T) goal, Tonin (M) goal, Marcos Lopez (T) miss.
The official PUMA match kits for the 2019/20 season are available in the AC Milan Online Store!
