Milan-Udinese 1-1: goals from Leao and Udogie. The Friulians equalize with the arm

Getting sick of a draw right now is the worst thing that could happen. And this time there wasn’t even Ibra waving his magic wand in the final like in the first leg, or like last season. Udinese confirms to be a very complicated client for Milan and, under the eyes of Berlusconi, imposes another painful draw against the Rossoneri. At San Siro it ends 1-1 with goals from Leao in the first half and Udogie in the second half, or the second half misstep in a row for the Devil who squanders other precious points in the championship race on the street. Other than putting pressure on competition. After Salerno, Milan jams again, but this will also be remembered as the draw of the great controversies. The Devil protested with all his might on Udogie’s goal for a touch with the arm of the 13 Juventus: the Var, however, after checking in the monitor room, validated. Let’s say that this season Milan, net of this episode, was definitely not “lucky” from the point of view of the refereeing episodes. All this, mockingly, on the day of the tenth anniversary of Muntari’s ghost network at Juve. According to the episode, after a first half which was not exciting but still played at a good pace, they paid for a disastrous first half of the second half, where they were put down for a long time by the Friulians. Two draws in a row in the heart of the championship rush are something that must make Pioli think deeply. Too many points lost with the lower-tier teams. Udinese, after stopping Lazio, takes the pleasure of doing it even with the leaders and at the end of the match Cioffi rightly and he embraces.

The choices

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Pioli confirmed the projections of the eve, or rather confirming the defense of Salerno, fielding Kessie in place of the suspended Bennacer next to Tonali, and preferring Messias to Saelemaekers on a trocar completed by Diaz and Leao behind Giroud. Cioffi in recent days has recovered Udogie and especially Pereyra, a pivotal man for team balance, but for both he was still the bench. In their place Zeegelaar and Arslan again, to compose a median with Walace in front of the defense and Makengo. Attack entrusted to Beto (last goal a month and a half ago) and to the former Deulofeu, particularly lively and imaginative even if over time he let himself be swallowed by selfishness and started to challenge all of Milan alone. Udinese’s flashes here and there, thanks also to the overbearing insertions of Molina, to form an incisive right-wing chain with Deulofeu. Flashes in the midst of the predictable Rossoneri possession, also managed with good speed but soiled by many inaccuracies on the trocar. Not even at the time of the last step, but the penultimate one. A somewhat hasty and unruly Milan, which is precisely the defect that Pioli had pointed out on the eve of his rethinking of the match in Salerno. Technical errors that have ruined a round of the ball deputed to find a short and compact Udinese, very careful not to fray the distances between the departments and able to turn off the light in the few corridors allowed.

Goal from center forward

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A Milan master of the field but harnessed, in short. Which happens quite frequently with the Friulians. Diaz moved a lot but also made a lot of mistakes, Molina induced prudence in Hernandez, Messias struggled to find the winning idea in the duels and so the match was unhinged by those who usually do not frequent the trocar so much: Tonali received the ball after a percussion by Theo and drew a soft and precise rainbow for Leao, who got rid – rather roughly – of Becao and slipped Silvestri out. Goals from center forward rather than from winger, yet another sign of the growth of the Portuguese. He was half an hour into the game and obviously the goal disrupted the Juventus plans, much more able to contain than to build. Beto tried a couple of times with his head (dangerous on the second occasion), Deulofeu repeatedly bumped into the Rossoneri defense, Molina decreased propulsion and, in short, Maignan did not have to agitate more than allowed.

Lightness

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In the second half, Milan evaporated as the minutes passed. Tiredness? Again arrogance despite the lesson of Salerno? The fact is that first Tomori risked harmful consequences in the area on Beto, then Cioffi entered Udogie and Pereyra and the Friulians placed the tents in the opposing half without the Devil being able to find the strength and ideas to get out of it. A light Milan, not very convinced, indeed intimidated by Udinese’s attitude. First Molina squandered a golden opportunity after an amnesia by Hernandez, then Pioli changed Giroud with Rebic and the Rossoneri lost the advanced point of reference. Udinese drew with the new players: Pereyra’s “dirty” overhead kick in the area and the ball deflected into the net by Udogie. The Rossoneri protests were very strong for the touch with the arm of the Juventus 13, but the goal was validated after a check by the Var. At that point the Rossoneri pulled their heads out of the shell, accompanied however by an evident anxiety dictated by the scrolling of the hands. Leao tried to slip wherever he could, even and above all centrally. At half an hour Silvestri also jumped but the ball surged and Pablo Mari managed to unravel. Then it was Becao who saved with the Portuguese thrown on goal. And in the end it was Maignan’s turn to save his team from collapse, rejecting a very insidious right from Deulofeu.