Serie A Week 1: Bologna Stun AC Milan, Win 2-1
September 1st 2008 06:06
It was supposed to be a perfect day for the Rossoneri. The sun was shining, the fans were ready, and Carlo Ancelotti had concocted a perfect balance between offense and defense in his starting eleven. Both Ronaldinho and Flamini would take their first steps into Serie A while Shevchenko was a luxurious insurance policy on the bench. However, Bologna, led by a resurgent Marco Di Vaio, weren't about to surrender just yet and delivered an inspiring performance in the usually intimidating San Siro.
Both teams traded barbs in the initial stages of the game. The match was very open for a Serie A fixture, and the action moved from end to end. At the 17th minute, Bologna surprised everyone when Di Vaio scored the first goal of the match, giving the visitors a one-goal lead over Milan. It took a while for Ancelotti's men to respond as their long-distance shots were repeatedly saved by goalkeeper Antonioli. The home side finally got their equalizer five minutes before half-time when Ambrosini's head connected with Ronaldinho's cross.
The second half was more of the same. Milan had the majority of possession but didn't seem to know what to do with it. They always went after complicated, sophisticated plays when, at the end of the day, only the final score mattered. Bologna understood that and tried to take advantage of the slightest opportunity. At the 78th minute, midfielder Francesco Valiani, in his Serie A debut, scored the visitors' second goal of the day, giving Bologna the lead once again. The goal was a superb strike, straight to the top corner of the net at the near post, leaving no chance to Abbiati. With twelve minutes left to go, Ancelotti gave the order to attack but the Rossoneri were still getting tangled up in their plays. Ten minutes after Bologna's goal, Ancelotti, seeing that his team was going nowhere, lit up a cigarette. Isn't that forbidden? Anyway, Bologna managed to hold on all the way until the end (though Milan didn't look close to scoring at all), and grabbed their first win of the season.
It was a shocker for sure but that's why I love football. You can never predict how a match is going to turn out. Milan looked like the perfect team when the starting-eleven was revealed, yet a no-name team managed to beat them inside of their own stadium by playing a simple game and converting their scoring chances. Good job to them, and better luck next time for Milan.
Quick note on Ronaldinho's performance: The Brazilian midfielder started his first match with his new team yesterday and, although he did some good things, he seemed to be doing the strict minimum to get involved in the game. From a player who could influence the outcome of a game all by himself, he's turned into a player who just stands around, passing the ball back to his teammates as fast as they send it to him in the first place. Bologna's defenders left him all the space in the world yet he didn't make one single menacing run. In short, he looks like a guy who can't wait for his retirement to arrive. How can a player become like this?
AC Milan's line-up: Christian Abbiati; Gianluca Zambrotta, Paolo Maldini, Kakha Kaladze, Marek Jankulovski; Mathieu Flamini, Andrea Pirlo, Massimo Ambrosini (Emerson, 84th); Clarence Seedorf, Ronaldinho; Filippo Inzaghi (Alexandre Pato, 68th). Andriy Shevchenko also came on at some point but I don't remember when and who he replaced.
Both teams traded barbs in the initial stages of the game. The match was very open for a Serie A fixture, and the action moved from end to end. At the 17th minute, Bologna surprised everyone when Di Vaio scored the first goal of the match, giving the visitors a one-goal lead over Milan. It took a while for Ancelotti's men to respond as their long-distance shots were repeatedly saved by goalkeeper Antonioli. The home side finally got their equalizer five minutes before half-time when Ambrosini's head connected with Ronaldinho's cross.
The second half was more of the same. Milan had the majority of possession but didn't seem to know what to do with it. They always went after complicated, sophisticated plays when, at the end of the day, only the final score mattered. Bologna understood that and tried to take advantage of the slightest opportunity. At the 78th minute, midfielder Francesco Valiani, in his Serie A debut, scored the visitors' second goal of the day, giving Bologna the lead once again. The goal was a superb strike, straight to the top corner of the net at the near post, leaving no chance to Abbiati. With twelve minutes left to go, Ancelotti gave the order to attack but the Rossoneri were still getting tangled up in their plays. Ten minutes after Bologna's goal, Ancelotti, seeing that his team was going nowhere, lit up a cigarette. Isn't that forbidden? Anyway, Bologna managed to hold on all the way until the end (though Milan didn't look close to scoring at all), and grabbed their first win of the season.
It was a shocker for sure but that's why I love football. You can never predict how a match is going to turn out. Milan looked like the perfect team when the starting-eleven was revealed, yet a no-name team managed to beat them inside of their own stadium by playing a simple game and converting their scoring chances. Good job to them, and better luck next time for Milan.
Quick note on Ronaldinho's performance: The Brazilian midfielder started his first match with his new team yesterday and, although he did some good things, he seemed to be doing the strict minimum to get involved in the game. From a player who could influence the outcome of a game all by himself, he's turned into a player who just stands around, passing the ball back to his teammates as fast as they send it to him in the first place. Bologna's defenders left him all the space in the world yet he didn't make one single menacing run. In short, he looks like a guy who can't wait for his retirement to arrive. How can a player become like this?
Milan - Bologna Goals
AC Milan's line-up: Christian Abbiati; Gianluca Zambrotta, Paolo Maldini, Kakha Kaladze, Marek Jankulovski; Mathieu Flamini, Andrea Pirlo, Massimo Ambrosini (Emerson, 84th); Clarence Seedorf, Ronaldinho; Filippo Inzaghi (Alexandre Pato, 68th). Andriy Shevchenko also came on at some point but I don't remember when and who he replaced.
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