AC Milan 2023/24 replay - 5a giornata

23 September 2023: Two losses, and two horrific performances on the trot. The calcio media are beside themselves, and the questions about team management that surfaced during the limp defense of the scudetto are back on the front burner - can Milan (2-0-2) make it all better, or at least relieve the pressure and get back onto the front foot, by taking those frustrations out on Hellas Verona at the San Siro? Pioli makes a tactical change, pushing a body up into the midfield to try to improve upon the lack of possession and service that led to a grand total of two shots on goal over the past two matches . . .

Milan (3-4-3): Sportiello; Kjaer, Tomori, Thiaw (Adli 71); Krunic, Musah, Florenzi, Reijnders; Pulisic (Bennacer 88), Giroud, Leao (Okafor 64)

Hellas Verona (3-4-3): Montipo; Dawidowicz, Hien, Magnani; Hongla, Terracciano, Folorunsho (Serdar 90+2), Faraoni (Suslov 83); Duda, Lazovic, Ngonge

The Curva Sud were out for blood, and the men on the pitch wearing red and black were looking to make sure that any blood split would be Verona's and not their own. Milan began smartly, and after thirteen minutes Pulisic rushed clear into the box and laid the ball off for Giroud to curl into the bottom right corner for a quick rossoneri lead. The pressure continued, and Leao did his thing on the left flank only eight minutes later, skipping past Terracciano and then driving the ball into the far side of the net from ten yards out to double the gap. On the half-hour, Krunic placed a perfectly-weighted through ball onto the path of Giroud, who stepped to the right and then pulled a shot back inside the left post to leave Mantipo flailing and Milan running away.

At the other end Verona were being suffocated, as they did not register their first official shot of the game until the 70th minute, when Magnani stroked one wide of the mark. But the home side were not yet done - Leao headed home from Thiaw's cross on the stroke of an hour and, four minutes later, a blocked cross ricocheted right into Giroud's path and the Frenchman calmly buried the hat-trick goal out of reach of the lunging Mantipo for Milan's fifth and final tally of the contest.

Suddenly all was looking positive again, although one home result against one of the lesser clubs will not completely soothe the simmering concerns. As La Gazzetta asked in large type the following morning, Dov'era Questo Primo? ("Where was this before?") [scoresheet]

Men of the Match:

   ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Claude Giroud (Milan)

   ⭐️⭐️ Rafael Leao (Milan)

   ⭐️ Christian Pulisic (Milan)