Lazio heaped more misery on AC
Milan by holding on to record a 3-2
victory over the struggling Rossoneri
at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday
night.
The visitors fell behind to a deflected
effort from Hernanes midway through
the first half before Antonio Candreva
doubled the Biancocelesti 's advantage
with a stunning strike just before the
interval.
Miroslav Klose made it 3-0 early in the
second half and although Nigel de
Jong and Stephan El Shaarawy
dragged Milan back into the game
after the introduction of the fit-again
Alexandre Pato, last season's runners-
up were unable to complete what
would have been a remarkable
comeback.
Even though the visitors had made
their worst start to a Serie A campaign
in 80 years, the under-pressure
Massimiliano Allegri looked like he did
not have a care in the world before
kick-off.
The Rossoneri coach was given very
little cause for concern during an
opening quarter in which Milan coped
comfortably with what little Lazio had
to offer going forward, while at the
same time threatening sporadically
themselves.
However, when it comes to struggling
sides, anything that can go wrong,
usually does go wrong, and so it was
that the visitors fell behind 25 minutes
in when Hernanes twisted and turned
his way past Daniele Bonera before
unleashing a speculative effort which
struck the defender’s outstretched leg
and looped up and over the stranded
Marco Amelia.
Fortune frowned on Milan again just
moments later when El Shaarawy,
having latched onto a through-ball
from Antonio Nocerino, fired the ball
through the legs of Albano Bizzarri
only to see Andre Dias seemingly
come from nowhere to clear off the
line.
They were hit with another
devastating psychological blow just
before the break when Candreva
unleashed a long-range drive that
seemed to swerve in several different
directions on its way past an
understandably bemused Amelia.
Despite the benefit of 15 minutes’
respite, Milan still appeared punch
drunk at the start of the second half. It
would be difficult to offer another
credible explanation for the way in
which they defended Lazio’s third
goal, with right-back Ignazio Abate
missing in action and a dazed and
confused Daniele Bonera staggering
about the box as Klose clinically
volleyed home Candreva’s measured
cross from the right wing.
That looked like the knockout blow
but Milan kept swinging and their
fighting spirit was rewarded with a
goal from De Jong , who did well to
get his toe on Urby Emanuelson’s
low, in-swinging free kick.
Suddenly it was the hosts who looked
fragile - both mentally and defensively
- and Milan set up a fascinating finale
when El Shaarawy cut in from the left
with just over 10 minutes to go and
curled the ball into the bottom corner.
Milan poured forward in search of an
equaliser but to no avail, meaning
they remain 12th in the standings.
Lazio also stay where they are, but the
third-placed Biancocelesti are now
just one point behind second-placed
Napoli.
No comments:
Post a Comment