AC Milan 4-2 Juventus: 5 hits and flops as the Rossoneri stun the Old Lady with remarkable comeback | Serie A 2019-20
Juventus found themselves seven points clear at the summit of Serie A after Lazio's shock loss to Lecce and they had every intention of securing another three points from their fixture against AC Milan on Tuesday. However, the Rossoneri were no pushovers as they went from two goals down to win the game 4-2 at the San Siro.
The first half came and went without much action, except for a penalty plea by AC Milan when Zlatan Ibrahimovic went down in the box. The Swede's subsequent goal was, however, overruled as offside. There was barely any inclination that the second half would lead to a shocking six goals - with the Bianconeri conceding four.
Two minutes into the first half, a stunning goal from Adrien Rabiot raised cheers from his teammates as he put Juventus in the lead. The Frenchman went past two players and dodged a third before curling the ball beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma's hands.
Cristiano Ronaldo was on hand to double the lead after a weighted pass over the backline from Juan Cuadrado. The Portuguese talisman picked the ball behind the two flailing defenders and bounced it into the net - although it took a slight deflection from Donnarumma.
Barely any time had passed when a strong Milan chance was marred by what looked like a handball in the box. The decision went to VAR and after a long check, the referee adjudged that Leonardo Bonucci handled the ball, and pointed to the spot for a penalty. Ibrahimovic took the ensuing spot-kick and slotted the ball cooly into the left bottom corner of the goal, sending Wojciech Szczesny the wrong way.
Four minutes later, in a miraculous bout of confusion for the Juventini backline, Franck Kessie scored to level the game for Milan. The 23-year-old took the ball past Juventus players - none of whom seemed adept enough to snatch the ball from his feet - and lobbed it beyond Szczesny's diving frame.
In just 60 seconds, a sudden counter-attack started with the Rossoneri hurdling down the centre. Ante Rebic was taken down during his run, but substitute Rafael Leao was quick to pick up the ball and continue with the referee signalling advantage. The 21-year-old cut in slightly with his right foot and punished the Juventus defence with a near-post shot that Szczesny's outstretched foot couldn't reach.
The stunned Bianconeri outfit seemed unable to comprehend what had happened and struggled to find their rhythm again. Towards the end of the game, Rebic finally found his well-deserved goal. It was Alex Sandro's error that led to it, as the substitute tried to make a flank-to-flank pass that only ended up in Juventus' box. The ball was picked up by Giacomo Bonaventura who squared it in for Rebic to power into the back of the net.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five hits and flops from the Serie A fixture.
#1 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Hit
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was all shades of brilliant against Juventus as he consistently made things happen in the 67 minutes he spent on the pitch. From pleading for a penalty after been taken down in the box to scoring a disallowed goal from an offside position, the 38-year-old worked extremely hard for his side and ultimately got into rhythm to punish Juventus with a goal and an assist.
The towering striker now has five goals and three assists in his last ten games for AC Milan, and it certainly doesn't look like he'll be slowing down any time soon.
#2 Alex Sandro - Flop
Alex Sandro's lacklustre performance against AC Milan merely highlighted how bad Juventus' defence had been for most of the second half.
After successfully defending the ball on the left flank, Sandro seemed rather unsure of who the ball should go to. He ultimately ended up sending in a cross in his own box for an opposing player to pick up and set the path for Milan's fourth goal. Put simply, it was a night to forget for the Brazilian.
#3 Ante Rebic - Hit
Playing at his very best on Tuesday, Ante Rebic wreaked constant havoc at the heart of the Bianconeri defence. Besides his commanding presence in the final third, he also showcased his creative side, making three key passes to aid his team's cause.
Although it won't be credited to him as an assist, it was his header towards goal that caught Bonucci on the arm and led to the penalty that tipped the scales in Milan's favour. He rode the waves with the Rossoneri, partook in the third goal and unleashed the final goal to seal the deal for the side.
#4 Leonardo Bonucci - Flop
Rarely putting a foot wrong throughout the season, Leonardo Bonucci's performance against AC Milan was all shades of bad. Going forward for set-pieces in the attack, he had two strong chances that he failed to deliver. However, it was his defensive output that particularly hurt the Bianconeri's chances at a win.
After handling the ball in the box, getting a yellow card and causing the first goal, Bonucci led his backline into total incapacitation. He barely tackled throughout the match, let Franck Kessie get past him with ease, and also allowed Rafael Leao to get his goal across with ease.
It was a bad day for the Juventus defence as a whole, but the major culprit happened to be their most experienced defender.
#5 Franck Kessie - Hit
Franck Kessie controlled the game from the middle of the park at the San Siro and added his name to the scoresheet for good measure. Notably, the Ivory Coast international made 67 passes, six more than any other player on the field on Tuesday. He also made more tackles than the entire Juventus starting defence put together.
The highlight of his game, however, would be his brilliantly-placed goal after he weaved his way through three Juventus defenders before sealing AC Milan's comeback in style.
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Rachel Syiemlieh