Jeremy Menez Saves AC Milan, but Empty San Siro Tells Its Own Story

A brace from Jeremy Menez gave AC Milan the edge over Parma on Sunday as the Rossoneri earned their first Serie A win of 2015.

Not many were there to see it, however. And even less were happy with the complete 90-minute performance.

Just over 24,000 people went to San Siro to watch Milan, and it looked like a lot less. After just 30 minutes, the supporters who were there started whistling their own team. The whistling would happen on several occasions.

It was a random night to begin with. Cristian Zaccardo started his first competitive game in almost a year, and new signing Salvatore Bocchetti played for the first time since October. 

"

I've never seen a more random AC Milan side. Sad, really.

— Raphael Honigstein (@honigstein) February 1, 2015"

Mattia Destro also earned a spot in the starting XI just days after completing his loan move to Milan from Roma.

And yet it was a familiar name that appeared first on the scoresheet. Menez converted his sixth penalty of the season—more than any other player in Serie A and just two behind Cristiano Ronaldo—and Milan took the lead in the 17th minute.

But old habits creeped back in red and black. Milan sat back and invited Parma to score, which they did not 10 minutes after the initial goal. 

Milan almost always lose the lead immediately after gaining it. This time, it was ex-Milan man Antonio Nocerino jumping on a loose ball from a corner kick and slipping it past Diego Lopez for the equalizer.

Luca Bruno/Associated Press

Nocerino, who played with Milan for two years, did not celebrate.

Parma then took the initiative and threatened Milan in the box, this effort coming from a club whose players haven’t been paid in months. If any team had a reason to underperform, it would be last-placed Parma.

But Milan were worse for chunks of the game. At times, they could not connect more than three forward passes in a row, and they could not clear their lines. Milan scrambled to find the ball in their own area, and Parma would have scored a second if not for a couple of point-blank stops from Lopez.

More insults rained down on Milan as they entered the tunnel at half-time, and they were just as disjointed after the break. 

Only a virtuoso performance from Menez broke the ugly trend in the second half.

In the 56th minute, the Frenchman picked up the ball at the edge of box and struck a solid shot into the far corner. 

CEO Adriano Galliani leapt out of his seat and bellowed like a mad man, indicting the importance of this game but also stressing the sad reality that a result against unpaid professionals on a relegation-bound team was somehow pivotal for Milan and coach Filippo Inzaghi.

"

Galliani celebrating Milan taking the lead... pic.twitter.com/A0Mu1PFVQz

— Serie A News (@TransfersCalcio) February 1, 2015"

(Zaccardo added another goal for insurance, capping a solid game for the World Cup-winning defender. He drew the first penalty for Menez and scored another offside goal earlier in the match. Such is the randomness of this team.)

Unfortunately, it was the scene around the match that was more telling. Whole rows and sections were empty. Fans draped banners across the vacant seats just to cover up the sad existence of San Siro.

A new 48,000-seat stadium is already in their sights, per BBC Sport, but even an arena with half the capacity of San Siro would be difficult to fill at these rates. There were less than 10,000 people at the Coppa Italia match between Milan and Lazio earlier in the week.

The bleeding stopped just for a little on Sunday, but the wider issues with the club still remain.