Yahoo Sports Serie A | Milan 3-2 Parma: Thrilling comeback papers over cracks
Milan were trailing 2-1 at San Siro until the 91st minute, but desperately scrambled a 3-2 victory over Parma with Strahinja Pavlovic acting as a makeshift striker for Samuel Chukwueze’s winner.
The Rossoneri had done well in the Supercoppa Italiana and beat Girona 1-0 in the Champions League midweek, but their Serie A form was stuttering after a draw at Cagliari and defeat to Juventus. Emerson Royal will be out for a while with a calf strain, joining Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Malick Thiaw and Alessandro Florenzi on the treatment table, with new buy Kyle Walker not in the squad yet. Parma missed Ange-Yoan Bonny, Adrian Bernabé, Alessandro Circati, Botond Balogh, Yordan Osorio, Gianluca Di Chiara, Mateusz Kowalski and Gabriel Charpentier, but started new signings Milan Djuric and Alessandro Vogliacco.
See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.
Former Monza striker Djuric could’ve scored in the opening minute, but decided to knock down the Matteo Cancellieri cross for Valentin Mihaila rather than go for goal.
Pulisic pulled back from the by-line after a Milan corner, only for Matteo Gabbia to hit a fresh-air shot from 12 yards entirely undisturbed.
Rafael Leao had penalty appeals, though he seemed to run into Hernani more than be dragged down, then soon after he ballooned over from a Pulisic lay-off.
It was Parma that took the lead at San Siro when Theo Hernandez slipped trying to intercept the Enrico Delprato cross-field ball, so Matteo Cancellieri had time and space to cut inside and bend the left-foot finish into the far bottom corner from outside the box.
Alvaro Morata had the ball in the net after he had wandered offside on the Youssouf Fofana pass, but Milan were gifted the equaliser when Zion Suzuki foolishly shoved Strahinja Pavlovic in the back with both hands so he could punch a corner away. The penalty was inevitable, converted hard and low into the near bottom corner by Pulisic.
Tijjani Reijnders got down the left and his angled drive was fingertipped away by Suzuki, but as Parma tried to counter, Youssouf Fofana was booked for a foul on Valentin Mihaila and that means he will be suspended for next week’s Derby della Madonnina against Inter.
Sergio Conceicao took bold action at half-time, taking off star names Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez.
Hernani blasted a long-range strike just over the bar, while Morata was repeatedly caught offside and scuffed finishes when clear on goal.
Reijnders forced Suzuki to get down and make a fingertip save on his snooker shot from outside the box, then another effort was deflected just over for a corner on the Davide Calabria assist.
However, Parma threatened on a rapid counter-attack, Mike Maignan rushing off his line to deny Valentin Mihaila with help from Pavlovic.
They did not heed the warning and the Ducali restored their advantage when Ismael Bennacer’s midfield pass was intercepted to spark another counter. Maignan made the desperate save one-on-one with Drissa Camara, who had completed a give and go, but could do nothing on the Delprato follow-up.
San Siro was celebrating at the 88th minute when Bartesaghi battled to win the ball back and Samuel Chukwueze floated a cross to the far post for Pavlovic’s towering header, but VAR quickly intervened to rule it offside.
Moments later, they did get to cheer as Reijnders sprung the offside trap on a through ball and kept his cool to slip it past the on-rushing Suzuki for 2-2.
Pavlovic was simply playing as an added striker for the closing stages and flicked on a long ball for Luka Jovic to volley over.
It proved an inspired tactical choice, as moments later after a Parma counter-attack fell apart, Pavlovic nodded down a Bartesaghi cross for Samuel Chukwueze to bundle over the line from six yards with his thigh, Suzuki flapping and failing to keep it out.
Milan 3-2 Parma
Cancellieri 24 (P), Pulisic pen 38 (M), Delprato 80 (P), Reijnders 92 (M), Chukwueze 95 (M)
Post navigation
Monza agree loan deals for Inter and Milan duo but must overcome striker's reluctance
