Cagliari-Milan 0-1: Bennacer’s goal. Scudetto for Pioli: Inter at -6

The “Saturday of the Scudetto” is tinged with the Rossoneri. For a team in control of its own destiny, the only thing that matters is to win, regardless of what the opponents do. And so it was. Milan also overtakes Cagliari, signing the third success in a row (all 1-0, by now the short muzzle has become a must at Milanello), maintains the solitary primacy, keeps Napoli at a distance and above all gains another two points on the Inter, which is now chasing at -6. The balance is largely positive, also because the Devil has now become a team absolutely capable of winning against low-end opponents. He learned to suffer.

It could be the last piece that was missing to make the Rossoneri truly a Scudetto team. In Cagliari he decides a goal – magnificent – by Bennacer in the second half, in the context of a match in which Milan squandered at least three clean scoring balls – spotless – and in which in the end he had to thank the crossbar, who avoided the mockery on a header from Pavoletti. Signal these too, who knows. And pay attention to the resumption of the championship after the break: Milan-Bologna, Juve-Inter and Atalanta-Napoli are scheduled.

The choices

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Mazzarri lost Baselli (Covid) a few hours before the game and then remodeled the midfield with a novelty: Dalbert brought into the pitch from the midfielder next to Grassi (Marin on the center-right), with Lykogiannis wide on the left. Attack entrusted to Joao Pedro and Pavoletti. The flu that hit Tonali (however summoned) during the week upset the plans of Pioli, who thus had to bring Kessie back to the median. Behind Giroud, Diaz met again, last as a starter on February 25th. On the right again Messias. In defense Kalulu was again preferred to Romagnoli and Hernandez returned from suspension. Theo in the first half was unquestionably the best of a strange Milan, tactically hard to decipher, with the Spaniard very much inside the field – but this is nothing new – and Leao called by Pioli to support Giroud at close range. A move that failed: the Portuguese never found positions and distances, got lost in the middle of the Sardinian defensive line and – badly aggravating – in practice the axis with Theo in the left lane never came to life. One of AC Milan’s deadliest weapons. Despite this, the Rossoneri still have to bite their hands for not having closed the first 45 ahead. In the first quarter of an hour the Devil spent the evening at the waste festival, devouring two colossal occasions. The first at 7 ‘with Giroud, who shuffled all alone from two steps on the Messias bank. Hands in the hair for the French. The second at 13 ‘with Diaz, who badly “opened” the right to turn from a more than inviting position, sending abundantly to the side. Seconds earlier, a powerful right from Kessie had hit the post.

Errors

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The Rossoneri dangers stopped there, while on the other side they didn’t quite arrive. Cagliari has never really managed to trigger Joao Pedro, and not even Pavoletti, but they managed to harness the Devil very well in the median, with Grassi sticking to Diaz and Dalbert on Bennacer. A Milan that ended up getting nervous, aware of their mistakes and the difficulty of overcoming the first line of red and blue pressure. Result: lack of clarity in the last twenty meters, at the time of finishing. All taken by the frenzy, which is always a bad adviser. Tiracci from Messias and Bennacer, for example, with the relative anger of his teammates and the feeling of living those matches that you risk ending without goals and with many regrets. The only consolation: management of the defensive phase without the slightest trouble. Il Diavolo started the recovery by trying to push the accelerator and the approach had its effects. After three minutes Leao (careful Cragno) peeped out, after six Hernandez let go of a torpedo that the rossoblù goalkeeper threw away from under the crossbar and in the quarter of an hour the Rossoneri passed: Diaz in the center of the area for Giroud, support of the French for Bennacer who put Cragno with a fantastic left footed shot. Technical execution by applause. The goal had the effect of reinforcing the Rossoneri’s dominance. At that point Milan started to move with the confidence transmitted by the advantage and settled in the Sardinian half, also because for Cagliari the goal was a bludgeon on the back. Mazzarri has inserted Deiola for Lykogiannis, Pioli has removed Leao and Diaz for Rebic and Krunic.

Good luck

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In the last quarter of an hour Milan made the mistake of the first half again: not capitalizing on the almost absolute domination, scoring the goal of tranquility. Dirty conscience especially for Calabria, who in the 39th minute kicked on Cragno after finding himself face to face with the rossoblù 28. And in fact if the Devil manages to leave Cagliari with the three points, it is thanks to good luck: minute number 90, cross by Zappa, head by Pavoletti, ball that first bounces on the ground and then on the crossbar. Here’s how you can risk drawing a dominated match and lose two vital points in the championship fight. Pioli hopes that for the umpteenth time the lesson will serve his boys, this time the god of football has slipped on the Rossoneri shirt. After the final whistle, high tension on the pitch. Maignan was insulted by some rossoblù fans (Pioli spoke of racist epithets), he replied by putting his hands to his ears and from then on the uproar broke out.