FIORENTINA FIGHT BACK AS THE PRIMAVERA SLIP UP
Youth Teams
Lessons are to be learned from this negative afternoon. After starting off well, the Rossoneri Primavera made some mistakes and paid a heavy price for them, ending up losing a match they took the lead in. Sia’s fine finish in the first half, his twelfth of the season, put his side 1-0 up, but Fiorentina fought back to win 4-1, helped by Jiménez's naive sending off when the game was in the balance. It was a harsh scoreline and a painful slip-up, as AC Milan's league campaign in 2024 has yet to really take off: a change of course is needed to get back to showing their best.
While things are going swimmingly in Europe, bumps in the road are increasingly occurring in Primavera 1. At the PUMA House of Football, the team appeared fired up and ready with their plans; they took the lead, but then became nervous and leaky. The Viola were clinical and ruthless, as seen recently in the Coppa Italia. In the table, Abate's boys remain on 37 points, remaining in the playoff zone, but in a less comfortable position and with less and less margin for error. At the weekend, on Saturday 9 March at 11:00 CET, our Primavera side will travel to Hellas Verona for matchday 25.
CHECK OUT THE GALLERY FROM AC MILAN v FIORENTINA
MATCH REPORT
Ready, set... Sia. After lots of possession at the start of the game, in the 9th minute Diego went on his own and opened the scoring. The goal was stunning - a left-footed, diagonal low shot - the individual piece of play outstanding: winning the ball back, he drove forward and unleashed a shot, even including a cheeky backheel prior, to beat Leonardelli. Fiorentina reacted immediately and threatened: in the 16th minute, Caprini deflected an effort onto the post from close range; in the 19th minute, Raveyre kept out Sene’s attempt. The goalkeeper made a mistake in the 25th minute, but then made up for it by saving Caprini's long-range attempt. Then, signs of brilliance from Jiménez, who in the 32nd minute failed to turn home Nsiala's assist. There was a scare in the 36th minute when Baroncelli got ahead of Raveyre from a corner, but his effort was just off-target. Again from a corner, in the 44th minute, Castrovilli hit the outside of the post: 1-0 at half-time.
The second half started off in the worst possible way for AC Milan: in the 47th minute, Sene scored the equaliser, taking advantage of an uncertain Victor and Nsiala, beating Raveyre with a powerful hit that flew into the back of the net. Sene also caused panic in the 49th minute, with a pass to Braschi and a right-footed shot blocked by the goalkeeper. It was Sia who led the charge, breaking in the 57th minute and putting Camarda through, who wasted a great chance firing over from just a few yards out. After the first changes were made, the match slipped away from the Rossoneri thanks to two episodes: in the 65th minute, the Viola took the lead through Baroncelli, firing home into the corner after a melee in the box, and in the 68th minute, Jiménez was sent off (two yellow cards). In the 74th minute, Braschi hit the post for a second time, following a free kick. Bakoune, in the 78th minute, and Simmelhack, in the 80th minute, both tried their luck unsuccessfully. And in the closing stages, the home side put the game to bed: in the 89th minute, Caprini scored from a corner and in the 91st minute Sene got his second with a header. Almost at the death, both Scotti and Zeroli were very unfortunate not to get a consolation. At the final whistle, it ended 4-1 to Fiorentina.
MATCH DETAILS
AC MILAN 1-4 FIORENTINA
AC MILAN (3-4-2-1): Raveyre; Simić, Caldara (57' Parmiggiani), Nsiala (90' Magni); Jiménez, Sala (72' Simmelhack), Victor, Bartesaghi; Zeroli, Sia (72' Scotti); Camarda (72' Bakoune). Subs: Bartoccioni; Paloschi; Malaspina, Mancioppi; Bonomi, Skoczylas. Coach: Abate.
FIORENTINA (4-2-3-1): Leonardelli; Biagetti (86' Sadotti), Baroncelli, Romani, Fortini (90+2' Scuderi); Ievoli, Harder (85' Vitolo); Sene, Castrovilli (61' Rubino), Caprini; Braschi (86' Maggini). Subs: Dolfi; Gudelevičius, Spaggiari, Vigiani; Dénes, Padilla. Coach: Galloppa.
Referee: Allegretta.
Goals: 9' Sia (M), 47' and 90+1' Sene (F), 65' Baroncelli (F), 89' Caprini (F).
Booked: 55' Castrovilli (F), 64' Parmiggiani (M), 71' Nsiala (M).
Sent off: 68' Jiménez (M).
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