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AC Milan recorded a brilliant and much-needed come from behind win on Thursday night against Como, eventually triumphing 3-1.
In truth, Como dominated large stretches of the match and they took the lead early on as Marc-Oliver Kempf headed in from a corner. They had other chances to score too, mainly through Nico Paz, but Mike Maignan was in world class form.
Right before half-time Milan were rather gifted a route back into the game as Kempf brought Adrien Rabiot down inside the box, and Christopher Nkunku converted from 12 yards. That seemed to inspire belief, as Rabiot then scored early in the second half and right at the end to seal the win.
After Inter’s victory over Lecce last night at San Siro, it was a win that was absolutely necessary to keep pace with the league-leaders, and it also opens up a bit more of a gap to Napoli who were held by Parma.
Massimiliano Allegri made six changes to the starting line-up for the draw against Fiorentina on Sunday, and he made seven changes to the XI to face Como. Koni De Winter, Luka Modric, Adrien Rabiot, Youssouf Fofana, Davide Bartesaghi, Christopher Nkunku and Rafael Leao all return after the mass rotation in Florence.
It took less than two minutes for Como to apply pressure on the Milan defence with a set-piece, one that wasn’t properly cleared and sat up for Kempf on the edge of the box. Rather surprisingly, he went for a bicycle kick volley that didn’t go a million miles wide.
Within a few minutes a clear pattern to the game had been established: Como’s rabid high press caused Milan no end of problems as they tried to play out, so it was attack versus defence albeit with little quality.
In the 10th minute, the home side took the lead and it will have been a goal leaving Allegri tearing his hair out. A corner from the left looped all the way to the far post where Kempf was on hand to rise above Fofana and head past Maignan.
There was no intention for the Biancoblu to sit back after taking the lead though, and they should have perhaps gone two goals up minutes after going ahead. A lovely flowing move saw Baturina feed Da Cunha, who shot first time from inside the box but lifted it over the bar.
Then, much to the despair of the home side, Milan were awarded a penalty kick right before the break. Saelemaekers won the ball back on the left side having switched flanks, and he threaded the ball through to Rabiot who went over as Kempf came in with a challenge from the side. The Como players were furious, claiming a foul on Saelemaekers and probably a dive too, but the call was upheld.
Christopher Nkunku took on the responsibility from the spot having scored three times in his last two appearances. He hit it very hard albeit centrally, but the ball seemed to have too much power for Butez and squirmed under him to make it 1-1.
Baturina’s deliveries from the left continued to cause Milan problems early in the second half. An out-swinging corner could have yielded another set-piece goal, though Maignan was better positioned to claim a header on target from the Como man.
Maignan made his second world class save of the night to deny Nico Paz. Milan seemed to shut off as Da Cunha seemed to recklessly win the ball back by going through Tomori and Saelemaekers yet play continued, and Paz’s beautiful whipped shot was tipped around the post with the goalkeeper at full stretch.
In fashion so typical of Allegri’s Milan, they managed to hurt Como at the other end as they took the lead. Saelemaekers did brilliantly to find Leao with a long ball, and then the Portuguese winger lifted a ball in behind that found the run of Rabiot. The Frenchman hit it low and hard first time, and it beat Butez seemingly between his legs.
Paz had been unlucky not to have gotten his name on the scoresheet, and must have been further cursing the football gods when his 58th-minute strike clipped the top of the crossbar.
With Milan looking to defend their lead, Allegri made three changes in relatively quick succession. First Niclas Füllkrug replaced Nkunku, then Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ardon Jashari came on for the tired looking Fofana and Leao.
With Milan happy to contain and play towards Füllkrug as an out ball, Allegri made his last two changes inside the final five minutes. Ardon Jashari and Zachary Athekame came on, replacing Modric and Saelemaekers.
Inside the final three minutes, Milan made sure of the three points as Rabiot got his second goal of the game. It came a bit out of nowhere in truth, with Como switching off as the ball was played in field to the Frenchman by Füllkrug, but the strike into the bottom right corner was hit with power and precision befitting of being the sealing goal.
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