AC Milan vs. Verona: Winners and Losers from Serie A Game
Another game, another two points dropped. This is now the theme for AC Milan, who drew 1-1 at home to bottom-of-the-table Verona at the San Siro on Sunday afternoon.
The game was a must-win for the Rossoneri, with talk in Tuttosport suggesting during the week anything else could lead to coach Sinisa Mihajlovic losing his job (h/t Football Italia). That prospect became all the more real as Milan put in another dispiriting showing to draw with Verona, who have yet to win in Serie A this season.
Milan arguably shaded a fairly even opening 45 minutes but failed to put the ball in the net. Two goalscoring opportunities were ruled out for offside as Verona managed to make it to half-time with the scoreline at 0-0.
The second half began well for the home side, with Carlos Bacca poking home from close range on 51 minutes after Vangelis Moras played him onside. However, the lead did not last long.
Within six minutes of Milan taking one step forward, they took two steps back, as Nigel de Jong was sent off for bringing down Leandro Greco for a penalty that Luca Toni converted to equalise.
From there, Milan struggled to assert themselves with a one-man disadvantage, and as the match wore on, Verona began to settle for the point.
Milan had one last chance in the dying embers as Giacomo Bonaventura wriggled into space in Verona’s penalty area, but his cross-shot was inadvertently deflected wide by Bacca.
Here are our winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Carlos Bacca
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In a match of few positives for Milan, at least Bacca has something to smile about. After four consecutive games without scoring, he hit the net to give Milan the lead.
The Colombian was also much more involved throughout than he was last time out, when he was completely ineffective as Milan drew 0-0 away to Carpi.
Mihajlovic showed faith to stick by Bacca after such an insipid display, and he was rewarded in the form of Bacca’s seventh league goal of the campaign.
Loser: Nigel de Jong
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Against Verona, De Jong made his first appearance in Milan colours for several months after a spell out through injury. It was not a strong return to action.
After an average opening period in which the Dutchman offered little, he was sent off after 57 minutes for hauling down Greco to concede the penalty that led to Verona’s equaliser.
His showing earned him the tag of worst performer, with a rating of 5.21 on WhoScored.com. With another spell out through suspension on the horizon, it’s hard to see a positive future for De Jong at the San Siro.
Winner: Luca Toni
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Throughout his long and storied career, Luca Toni has proved to be a handful for Milan. According to Opta Paolo, he “has scored 9 goals in 17 Serie A appearances vs AC Milan, 4 in the last 4 for him vs the Rossoneri”.
It’s an impressive record and one he continued on Sunday afternoon, dutifully converting a penalty to earn Verona a point against the odds at the San Siro.
Aside from the goal, Toni held up the ball well and brought his team-mates into play, proving that—even at 38 years of age—he still has what it takes to operate as an effective target man.
Loser: Milan's Top-3 Ambitions
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At the start of this season, Milan had ambitions of making it back into Serie A’s top three and achieving Champions League football for next season. While mathematically possible, this aim is logically out of the question.
Picking up two points from matches against Serie A’s bottom two clubs, Carpi and Verona, simply isn’t acceptable. It’s the kind of form usually associated with relegation fodder, never mind a team with intentions of competing with Italy’s finest.
Winner: Pierluigi Gollini
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Former Manchester United and Fiorentina youth Pierluigi Gollini put in a composed display to keep Milan out, with his performance proving the difference between a draw and a win for the home side.
This was only his fifth league appearance of the season, but the 20-year-old drew praise, with beIN Sports football commentator Matteo Bonetti remarking, “Gollini [is] looking very good in between the pipes for Verona”.
His decision-making and shot-stopping were crucial to his team winning a point, earning him a very respectable 6.96 rating from WhoScored.com. With more showings such as this he could displace Rafael as the Butei’s No. 1.
