Parma vs AC Milan: Score, Grades and Post-Match Reaction from Serie A Game

Jeremy Menez scored twice, including a stunning second-half golazo, as AC Milan maintained their perfect start to the Serie A season under Filippo Inzaghi with a wild 5-4 victory at Parma on Sunday at the Stadio Ennio Tardini.

In what will likely go down as one of the most entertaining matches of the Serie A season, the two teams combined for nine goals, two red cards and several memorable moments.

Giacomo Bonaventura, who signed with the Rossoneri from Atalanta on deadline day, netted in the 25th minute to put AC Milan ahead on his debut before Antonio Cassano equalised for Parma moments later. Keisuke Honda and Menez scored before the break to give Milan a 3-1 half-time lead, but Felipe pulled a goal back for Parma early in the second half.

Nigel De Jong restored Milan's two-goal lead with a fine solo effort midway through the half, but Parma responded again through Alessandro Lucarelli's 73rd-minute header. With the match delicately balanced, Menez created and scored Milan's fifth goal, a brilliantly taken solo move.

A Mattia De Sciglio own goal gave Parma hope, but Milan held on to record a wild win to maintain their perfect start to the season.

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

Both sides finished the match with 10 men after having a player sent off in the second half. Milan's Daniele Bonera saw red for his second bookable offence in the 58th minute. Felipe then received his marching orders—also for his second yellow—19 minutes later.

With the win, Milan moved onto six points through two matches, level with Roma and Juventus atop the early league table. But even after winning their first two matches under new manager Filippo Inzaghi, questions will remain about the Rossoneri, especially at the defensive end.

Parma, meanwhile, remain winless on the season through two matches.

Fernando Torres, who signed for AC Milan on Aug. 31, missed the match after injuring his ankle in training, as noted by the club's official Twitter feed. The Spanish striker is hoping to reinvigorate his career after a largely unsuccessful spell with Chelsea.

Having established himself as one of the top strikers in Europe during his time with Liverpool, Torres struggled at Stamford Bridge after signing in January 2011, scoring only 20 goals in 110 appearances, per Goal.com.

Milan dominated the opening stages and created a first chance in the fourth minute, Ignazio Abate pulling back a pass from the right for De Sciglio, who fired over the bar from the edge of the box. 

Two more chances followed midway through the half. In the 21st minute, Honda whipped in a free-kick from the right, picking out Alex's run in the box. But the defender mistimed his volley, and Parma eventually cleared. Two minutes later, Bonaventura flicked a free header wide of the far post from a Menez cross on the right.

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

The breakthrough finally came in the 25th minute. Honda played the role of provider, slipping a pass across the edge of the box to Bonaventura. Bonaventura allowed the ball to run, then turned and hit an angled shot back across his body and into the net past the diving Antonio Mirante.

Milan were well worth their lead, but within moments it was gone. Parma drew level with their next attack, creating a chance with excellent one-touch passing around Milan's box. The ball was worked out to the left flank for Cristobal Jorquera, who lifted a cross back into the middle for Cassano. The former Milan man towered above the defence to nod in his header for the equaliser.

The visitors needed little time to regain the lead. In the 37th minute, Honda netted Milan's second with a powerful header. Abate registered the assist with a cross from the right after running onto Menez's clever, angled pass.

Milan maintained the attack and were rewarded with a third goal via the penalty spot just before half-time. Menez started and finished the goal, drawing a foul from Alessandro Lucarelli before slamming his penalty straight down the middle with the final kick of a thrilling first half. 

The scoring continued early in the second half, with Parma pulling a goal back in the 51st minute. Jorquera set up the goal almost by accident, mishitting a cross-shot toward the back post, where Felipe slammed home to make it 3-2.

Milan went down to 10 men in the 58th minute, when Bonera was sent off after receiving his second yellow card for a handball along the edge of the Rossoneri's box. Cassano rifled the ensuing free-kick over the bar.

Parma seemed to sense a chance to nick a result, but a 68th-minute error gave Milan the opening they needed to restore their two-goal lead. De Jong both created and converted the chance himself, winning the ball off Cassano near the midfield stripe before bearing down on goal. The Dutch midfielder then kept his nerve to finish low past Mirante to make it 4-2.

Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

The match was far from finished, however. In the 73rd minute, Parma pulled yet another goal back as Lucarelli nodded in from a Raffaele Palladino corner. But any momentum the hosts had built was quickly lost as Felipe saw red in the 77th minute for his second bookable offence, a foul on Menez.

Two minutes later, Menez finally finished Parma off with a brilliantly taken goal, an opportunist's effort of the highest calibre. Winning possession following an errant pass in the hosts' half, Menez bore down on goal at a tight angle and rounded the goalkeeper near the byline. After chasing down the ball across the face of goal, the Frenchman flicked into the net with a cheeky back-heel to make the score 5-3.

Milan should have been comfortable from there, but a late defensive error ensured Parma weren't quite finished yet. In the 89th minute, De Sciglio attempted to play a back-pass to Milan goalkeeper Diego Lopez. But Lopez was unprepared to receive the ball, which instead bounced past him and into the net.

The comical own goal made for a tense finish, but after six nervy minutes of stoppage time, Milan held on for a wild win.

Grades

Starting XI	Half-Time	Full-Time
Substitutes	Half-Time	Full-Time
Antonio Mirante	5.4	5.9
Stefan Ristovski	5.6	5.1
Alessandro Lucarelli	5.2	6.1
Felipe	5.6	5.1
Paolo de Ceglie	5.7	5.7
Afriyie Acquah	6.1	6.4
Francesco Lodi	5.8	6.2
Cristobal Jorquera	6.7	7.3
Abdelkader Ghezzal	5.9	6.4
Antonio Cassano	6.9	7.4
Ishak Belfodil	6.4	6.6
Raffaele Palladino (for Ghezzal, 65')	N/A	6.5
Massimo Coda (for Jorquera, 73')	N/A	6.0
Soufiane Bidaoui (for Belfodil, 79')	N/A	6.2

Starting XI	Half-Time	Full-Time
Substitutes	Half-Time	Full-Time
Diego Lopez	6.1	4.5
Ignazio Abate	7.0	7.1
Alex	6.3	6.2
Daniele Bonera	6.5	5.8
Mattia De Sciglio	6.4	6.0
Andrea Poli	6.3	6,4
Nigel De Jong	6.5	8.0
Sulley Muntari	6.4	6.7
Keisuke Honda	8.5	8.6
Jeremy Menez	8.0	10.0
Giacomo Bonaventura	7.2	7.7
Cristian Zapata (for Alex, 62')	N/A	6.4
Adil Rami (for Honda, 62')	N/A	6.4
M'Baye Niang (for Menez, 86')	N/A	No rating

Post-Match Reaction

Milan forward Jeremy Menez (Sky Sport Italia via Football Italia):

"

We played a good game and ran a few too many risks, as we had the initiative throughout and the four goals we conceded were a little strange. In the end it’s the win that counts.

…

The team showed courage and never let go. I am trying to do all I can and help the team. Tonight we suffered a lot too and must work on that.

I have already changed for a few years, but people have this image of me. I feel good, this team and the Coach helped me a great deal and I am happy at Milan.

"