Milan-Bologna 2-0: goals from Leao and Giroud

It is too early to start making this type of calculations, but for the Rossoneri world it is impossible to pretend nothing has happened: Milan returning to victory by beating Bologna 2-0, not only regaining the top of the table (waiting for Napoli , of course), but a step higher than Inter. With the derby – and another league round midweek – knocking on the door, even one more point has its value and potential psychological undertones. Too much Milan, however, for Bologna. Leao is released, Giroud performs (in acrobatics), De Ketelaere designs and invents, sanctifying his debut as a starter: everything together becomes almost impossible to stem. He was an authoritative Devil, with the usual ease of play, and Pioli is doubly satisfied because on two to zero, in view of the first week with a triple commitment, he was able to afford all the rotations he had in mind, and above all with a minute adequate.

The choices

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The Rossoneri coach confirmed the sensations of the last few days, changing two quarters of the attack: inside for the first time since Giroud started, but above all inside for the first time since De Ketelaere started in the center of the trocar. Completed apprenticeship, Prince Charles took less than a month to get his tenure degrees. Up there, however, with three games a week until mid-September, Pioli will use the blender. The rest of the Devil presented no news: Messias confirmed on the right, median with Bennacer and Tonali. Mihajlovic, without the suspended Orsolini, next to Arnautovic preferred Barrow to Sansone. In defense debut for Lucumi, with Soumaoro returned from disqualification. In the middle Vignato to the right of Schouten. Sinisa must be acknowledged – not that it surprises us – for having organized a Bologna determined to propose a game and not to give it up a priori. No barricades in front of Skorupski, indeed, an evident courage in accepting even risky one-on-one. The problem, however, was to move from theory to practice, because when the Emilians tried to relax, either they failed due to the opposing pressure, or they ended up losing inexorably on the trocar. Mihajlovic’s repeated invitations to Barrow and Arnautovic to play closer together are useless. Result: Maignan spent the first 45 in total relaxation, much to Skorupski’s envy. On that side there was enough to do because Milan, despite not having particularly stressed the pace, was a constant presence.

Feet polite

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A less furious encirclement maneuver than other times, but still effective since the Rossoneri came face to face with the Emilian goalkeeper three times. Two with Leao and one with Kalulu (of course, the thousand ways of Pioli to get to the goal). At this point it is necessary to dedicate a few lines to De Ketelaere. The polite feet were not in doubt, the curiosity was all about the ability to fit into a group and in a new context, in front of the seventy thousand of San Siro. Well, CDK made a great impression in front of the commission: personality, sumptuous assistance to his companions and also a certain roughness in the contrasts that does not hurt. In fact, the goal was born just like this: Charles stole the ball before the midfield from his guardian angel Schouten, took about thirty meters ball and chain and served Leao on the run: Rafa deceived Skorupski, clumsy in expecting a right on the pole farther, and he pocketed. Then De Ketelaere again enchanted San Siro by putting Kalulu in front of the rossoblù goalkeeper, who this time blocked the Devil. Milan’s clean scoring was completed by Leao’s bucking at the end of the first half, which ended with an awkward touch rejected face to face by Skorupski.

Roar … for Samson

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Even in the second half, Milan did not particularly raise the laps and after ten minutes at the Meazza the hair straightened out on a cross from Cambiaso on which Arnautovic did not arrive for a matter of millimeters. De Ketelaere had Schouten warned after having escaped him for the umpteenth time and in the quarter of an hour Milan passed again. This time with heartfelt thanks to Cambiaso, who makes a dramatic mistake in the setting phase and gives the ball to Leao at the edge of the area: a soft throw for Giroud and a magnificent acrobatic goal by the Frenchman. Game closed? In short, not really. At game time Pioli put Pobega, Saelemaekers and Adli on, Mihajlovic responded with Aebischer, Soriano and Sansone, and Bologna started to get dangerous. Especially with Sansone – the roar of San Siro at the reading of the formations, for obvious memories (and thanks) of the championship -, who also took an outside pole. Then the passing of the minutes extinguished the ambitions of Emilia and the finale was all in the Rossoneri hues. Adli was also close to scoring, but for now we can be satisfied like this.