Milan-Fiorentina 1-0, Leao scored after a mistake by Terracciano

At 4.42 pm on May 1st, the earth shook in Milan. The epicenter is the San Siro stadium, where the stands dance for minutes that seem a lifetime because Rafael Leao has just scored a goal that smells like a Scudetto at Fiorentina. Milan played his part, he won this too and next Sunday he will go to Verona again as leaders, still alone. It is now Inter’s turn to respond from Udine and shorten from the current -5 to -2 this morning, but the pressure is all on their shoulders: the young devils of Pioli have unglued them with this 1-0 which blossomed at 82 ‘thanks to the symbol of the Rossoneri’s rise in this championship. Leao decides, the diamond that Pioli has scorned and who now commands the troop of goals at Milan: Rafa’s goals are ten, if you don’t win double-digit league titles without a bomber then the Devil is equipped up front too. Fiorentina surrendered due to a mistake by their goalkeeper Terracciano, an “assistman” with an unfortunate pass on the feet of the Portuguese: after Radu in Bologna, another number one directs the Scudetto towards Milan.

GIROUD, WHAT A MISTAKE

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Pioli brings back the same eleven parties at the Olimpico with Lazio: Diaz still the owner, Bennacer on the bench. Italian draws a muscular 4-3-3 in the middle – Amrabat central pivot with Duncan and Maleh on the sides – and the trident Gonzalez-Cabral-Saponara. Those who expected a still subdued Fiorentina, after the two knockouts in a row with Salernitana and Udinese, were wrong: the flies do not give them away and on the contrary they direct the games with ball possession higher than that of Milan, but the signals of a true Devil along the first time are more than one. In the first quarter of an hour the Rossoneri build opportunities by following the favorite route of Pioli’s tightrope walkers, that is, tight phrasing, movements between the lines and the inevitable jerks of Leao. After 7 minutes, the 75,000 at San Siro explode with Hernandez’s goal (unstoppable right), but the referee cancels for Messias’ offside which spoils the start of the action. Shortly after another golden ball for Diaz, also offside, while at 16 ‘it is Giroud who devours the 1-0: beautiful maneuver lit by the Tonali-Leao duo and finished by Kessie, who sends the French face to face with Terracciano. But Giroud’s left-handed touch ends sensationally on the side. The purple dangers arrive between 11 ‘and 21’: first Igor shoots a penalty out of nowhere, then it is Maignan who is ready on the left foot of Saponara, Fiorentina’s most dangerous attacker. The Italian gang is frightening when it advances, because it dribbles at speed and at two touches, even in the course of granting vital spaces for the holes of the devils and taking risks. One, gigantic, Maleh runs: after being booked at the dawn of the match for a dangerous entry into the game on Maignan, the viola midfielder at 19 ‘waved on Tonali, hitting him in the neck. Do it that he should be punished with a second yellow, but Valeri decides not to extract the card by pardoning the player and the purple team.

KILLER LEAO

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In the second half, the Italian rearranges the right wing: Venuti, who paid for Leao’s suffering with a yellow card in the first 45 minutes, gives way to Quarta. Not that it changes much, because the Portuguese returns to shooting immediately, and it is another colossal goal ball wasted by Milan: Rafa receives the ball all alone from Giroud and incredibly lifts over the crossbar from two steps. The goal is ripe but does not arrive, but the young devils have the merit of not getting depressed and raise the pace. At 52 ‘Kessie diagonally calls Terracciano to be rejected, a minute later it is Hernandez who ignites the south curve: Tonali, more and more the engine of the whole team, catches the Frenchman who, however, controls badly and shoots high. Pioli rethinks the trocar by inserting Rebic and Krunic for Messias and Diaz, the Italian replies with Bonaventura in place of Maleh: the former Rossonero collects the applause of the Meazza and tries to shake his, much less brilliant than the first half. It is in this context that Ibra breaks into the match, when he replaces Giroud twenty minutes from the end: San Siro asks him for magic, but Zlatan does not pull anything out of the hat. The Rossoneri tension rises, Theo also risks an elbow on Torreira, while Quarta gets a yellow shortly after for a kick to Hernandez on the sideline. While the rotations of Pioli up front do not produce much, it is Fiorentina who are close to scoring, with a header from Cabral in the 76th minute on which Maignan flies. The game drags on towards a draw that would offer Inter the opportunity to join, but in the 82nd minute Leao changes the story of this afternoon and perhaps also of the championship: the ball that Terracciano delivers to him is too greedy not to be exploited , Rafa makes no mistake this time and goes in the hole. Milan is on fire, we’ll see if the last three days will resemble a countdown.