Juric’s team feat, despite the red in Djidji. Bayeye enters and scores the other very young Adopo in the second overtime
A boy who came up from the youth sector to send the Devil to hell and the Bull to heaven takes care of it. After nine minutes of the second extra time Michel Adopo blows up the grenade bench with joy. A mad run-up, then the shot sills on an assist from Bayeye with which he sends Milan home and takes the ticket for the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup (Fiorentina or Sampdoria the opponent) to Turin. A heroic Bull clears the San Siro and makes the feat after extra time playing with ten men from the 70th minute due to Djidji’s expulsion. The final impetuosity of Milan didn’t help as they didn’t know how to take advantage of the numerical superiority and in the long run got lost.
DA LUKIC A DE KETELAERE
—
The expected (and announced) surprise move on the eve, in the end, Stefano Pioli really squares it. His Milan is positioned with an unprecedented 3-5-2, with the aim of looking Juric’s Toro men in the face. Ample turnover on the Rossoneri side, with the light attack at the start: De Ketelaere paired with Diaz. Juric, on the other hand, presents his best Toro at San Siro net of injuries: grenade on the pitch on the night of the Cup with the very titular players. The trident is the heavy one, with Miranchuk, Vlasic and Sanabria. The only variation to the theme is the revival of Rodriguez as a left winger. In fact, he’s more of a central quarter blocked on the wing: he covers a lot, pushes less.
In the first half, Milan shot up the pace, often managing to anticipate Juric’s midfield on the recovery of second balls where even the grenades represent an excellence of Serie A. However, Toro shows its muscles, is tough and does not disunite. The first opportunity belongs to the grenades: Sanabria invents a kissing through ball for Lukic (11′), Tatarusanu saves desperately on the way out. The impression is that it is more of a mistake by the Serbian midfielder. In the 25th minute the count of chances equalized: from a poisonous shot by Dest, deflected first by Ricci and then by Milinkovic, a corner kick was born from which De Ketelaere headed the post. Before returning to the locker room, the Belgian engages Milinkovic again (45′).
RED IN DJIDJI
—
When the game restarts, Pobega immediately engages Milinkovic (3′), then little by little the fury of the Devil in the first half wears off while Turin grows within the match. The game thus becomes very balanced, with neither team being able to find play. Bypassed the hour of play, Pioli plays two big cards by throwing Leao and Messias into the fray, shortly after there will also be room for Teo, Giroud and Bennacer. And Messias in the 70th minute marks an important first moment of the evening, when he goes off on the counterattack and is fouled by Djidji. For the Rapuano referee, the intervention deserves a yellow card, it is the second for the Frenchman who thus leaves the Bull in ten. Juric takes off Sanabria and puts in Zima to reassemble the defensive line. With the numerical superiority and with the push of the substitutions, Milan decidedly change pace and try to crush the grenades in front of Milinkovic in search of the qualifying goal. Who doesn’t arrive and we go to extra time. In the 14th minute of the first extra time, Milinkovic’s exit on Giroud was providential. In the ninth of the second overtime a flash grenade overturns the dynamics of the evening: Seck launches Bayeye who flies away and puts the ball in the center of the area for Adopo who scores his first and very heavy career goal with the Toro shirt. At the end of a very long night, the party is grenade.
January 11, 2023 (change January 11, 2023 | 23:46)
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED
