Yahoo Sports GdS: ‘The defeat costs a lot’ – how Milan suffered an ’embarrassing’ loss to Dinamo Zagreb
AC Milan fell to defeat in their final Champions League game against Dinamo Zagreb, coughing up a top eight spot in the process.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes, it was neither a win nor a draw for Milan in Croatia. Instead, it was an ’embarrassing loss’ in many ways against Fabio Cannavaro’s side, and now the play-offs await.
Making life difficult
Milan will have to go through the play-offs and in the play-offs they will meet one of Juve and Feyenoord, the team of Santiago Gimenez, the centre-forward they like and who was injured last night (it seems like nothing serious).
If the Rossoneri overcome the first hurdle, they will then face Inter or Arsenal. Thus, it is now a path full of pitfalls with the possibility of a double Italian derby, but this Milan cannot afford to look beyond the next match.
The first half last night in Croatia was terrible and the dignified second half – played entirely a man down due to the unfortunate red card for Yunus Musah in the 39th minute – does not save anything or anyone, it represents the minimum.
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The fact that the victory did not help Dinamo Zagreb to reach the play-offs makes the regret worse. Milan finish in 13th place in the table and if yesterday they had been beaten by Barcelona or Arsenal, the outcome would have been acceptable, but they lost to third place in the HNL.
Congratulations to Cannavaro, but Milan had to do much more, because they had (and have) the means. Everyone is guilty, including Sergio Conceiçao: the coach did not convey the right motivation to the group or perhaps he injected too much of it, who knows.
Mental collapse
Milan’s approach was soft and subjugated by Dinamo Zagreb’s will. Attitude is sometimes more powerful than technique, and in the first half of Milan there were too many players that were not at the races.
It was a widespread catalepsy and softness, then panic too which Matteo Gabbia was a victim of around the 20th minute. On a pass from Pavlovic, the centre-back twisted, stumbled – the uneven ground is no excuse – and had the ball stolen from him by Baturina who scored.
At 1-0, Dinamo targeted Milan’s nerves and insecurities, and Musah fell into the trap. He got a silly first yellow card because he tried to pull up a player who was wasting time on the ground after a foul, then about 20 minutes later he dragged Stojkovic down on the edge of the area.
It complicated an evening that should have been straightforward and the hosts continued their barrage with targeted attacks, rapid counter but tactical balance. They even missed big chances to make it 2-0 before the break.
The reaction in vain
Let’s imagine there was yet another dressing down from Conceiçao at half-time, a constant in the Portuguese’s first month in the Rossoneri. Gabbia and Alvaro Morata went off, Filippo Terracciano and Samuel Chukwueze came on.
The first change didn’t pay off. Indeed, with Terracciano, Milan’s defensive phase worsened. The introduction of Chukwueze was the real jolt, and the Nigerian actually provided some much-needed energy off the bench.
Milan actually got themselves level as Pulisic turned and fired in with a precise shot from inside the box, but parity didn’t last long, Terracciano was fooled by Ademi on the right, who sent a ball in the middle to Pjaça, finishing with a low diagonal shot to make it 2-1.
A minute later, another revolving door against Milan: a penalty awarded for a foul on Leao then cancelled by VAR, for a slap by Leao on Mmaee. Following this, a tired team lumbered towards surrender, accepting their fate.
