TIME MACHINE: AC MILAN v JUVENTUS

After the international break, there is nothing better than AC Milan v Juventus. Let’s inch towards the big game at San Siro by hopping into our time machine and heading back to 2005/06 when the battle between the Rossoneri and the Bianconeri for supremacy raged in Serie A and in general. It was a fiery campaign, tight until the very end, until the Calciopoli scandal sealed its fate. But on October 29, the on-pitch action did the talking at a fundamental crossroads for the league. Ancelotti’s side were cruising at an altitude, second in the table on 22 points after nine games. On the other hand, Capello’s side were running riot at the top of the standings with maximum points.

That evening, AC Milan knew they almost had to win to keep the race for the top open. Nesta was back in the side, and Shevchenko was out. We fielded a 4-3-1-2: Dida; Stam, Nesta, Maldini, Serginho; Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf; Kakà; Inzaghi, Gilardino. One word for the first half? Perfect. In the 14th minute, we took the lead: Seedorf played off Gilardino and unleashed a shot that was deflected by a falling Thuram, a difficult ball for Chimenti. The Bianconeri goalkeeper was a novelty for the Vecchia Signora who had had an emergency between the sticks despite having a solid set-up in front (the Thuram-Cannavaro duo, Emerson-Vieira in the midfield, Ibrahimović-Trezeguet up top; Nedved on the wing and Del Piero on the bench). In the 26th minute, Pirlo’s free-kick from the right took a touch from Cannavaro on the rebound, allowing Kaká to blast a turning shot into the net. Goal number three came just before the break: Pirlo took a dangerous free-kick from a distance, aiming straight for the goal, Chimenti couldn’t stop it and the ground went wild.

It was back to regular programming for the second half. The Bianconeri tried to react but were shot down, Nedved made forward runs but did little to trouble Dida. Pirlo had another go from a set piece and Seedorf made some classy attempts, then came a couple of changes and skirmishes. In the 76th minute, Juventus got one back through Trezeguet on a Vieira assist, but this did not manage to reopen the game. After Del Piero had a shot blocked by Dida, the excitement ended and the whistle went: 3-1, a big result, a show of strength, and hopefully, a good omen.

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