On Sunday night, a lacklustre performance cost AC Milan a 2-1 loss at Torino, snapping their league-leading unbeaten road streak.
Milan had missed early opportunities, and in a disastrous two-minute span in the first half, they ultimately paid the price. Unmarked Djidji scored Torino’s first goal from a free kick, beating Ciprian Tatarusanu, and Aleksei Miranchuk added a second with a deflected shot shortly after.
When a long ball from Sandro Tonali was not coped with due to a misunderstanding between Milinkovic-Savic and Buongiorno, Junior Messias was given the opportunity to give the Rossoneri a way back into the game. Messias curled the ball into a nearly empty net.
As a result, Napoli now leads by six points, while Inter and Juventus gain ground, and Milan were unable to keep up with the other teams around them who won.
Fikayo Tomori was reinstated from suspension, Tommaso Pobega moved into the double pivot position to face the team he was on loan at last season, Junior Messias, Brahim Diaz, and Divock Origi were inserted into the attack, and Stefano Pioli decided to make numerous changes to his starting lineup from the squad that defeated Dinamo Zagreb in midweek.
Rafael Leao received the game’s first opportunity when Brahim Diaz cleverly switched the ball to the far side and found the winger. Unfortunately, the ball was never really brought under control, and Leao’s subsequent attempt from inside the box was sliced wide.
Leao was given yet another excellent opportunity, and once again it was Brahim Diaz who fed the Portugal international on the break. This time, Diaz’s pass along the ground appeared to be just waiting to be stroking home with a sidefoot, but Leao squandered the shot.
After receiving an unintentional boot to the face from Nikola Vlasic, Pierre Kalulu fell to the ground and writhed in agony, but he was able to continue. This caused some concern for the Rossoneri at the quarter-hour mark.
Pietro Pellegri, an ex-Milan loanee, was found with a ball in behind in the 19th minute, allowing him to shoot at the near post for Torino. A few minutes later, Aleksei Miranchuk’s shot was saved by Ciprian Tatarusanu after the ensuing corner was not cleared.
The first half was chaotic and scrappy, as evidenced by the home team’s two quick yellow cards. Leao was left cursing himself again after unleashing a shot from about 20 yards out after a Granata player stumbled to give him space, but he missed the target by a wide margin.
Ten minutes before halftime, Torino took the lead, and Milan was once again defeated by a set piece. After Kalulu was called for a foul close to the goal line, a free kick was awarded, and an unmarked Djidji headed the ball in via the far post.
After less than two minutes, they had doubled their advantage, and Miranchuk was the one to score this time. The Russian international seized control of the ball as Torino players shouted for Gabbia to handball, then fired a low shot past Tatarusanu and into the bottom corner.
Pioli made a triple change to express his displeasure after a subpar first half. Sergino Dest replaced Kalulu, Charles De Ketelaere replaced Brahim Diaz, and Leao made room for Ante Rebic.
Rebic’s initial move in the fifth minute of the second half was to whip in a teaser that drifted across the goal but was just in front of two runners, with Origi being the closest. This gave Milan their first significant chance.
Dest was the most recent to try his luck when, while scurrying inside from his right-back position, the ball floated up and he punched it with his foot, but it fizzed over the bar.
Messias’ halving of the deficit midway through the second half provided Milan with a way to get back into the game. A miscommunication between Buongiorno and Milinkovic-Savic left the goalkeeper stranded in No Man’s Land with a long, hopeful ball that appeared to be easily handled by the Brazilian. Messias was then given the opportunity to curl the ball into an empty net.
With 20 minutes remaining and Ivan Juric having been dismissed for disrespecting the referee, Pioli decided to substitute Ismael Bennacer for Tonali.
With 13 seconds remaining, Milan made their final substitution, replacing Messias with Olivier Giroud. Pioli then decided to start with two up front in an effort to score the equaliser.
The final opportunity Milan created was a well-placed free-kick that was about 25 yards out and struck into the wall before going behind for a corner. Milan’s requests for a penalty for handball were denied by the referee, and the ensuing set piece was headed over.
Messias’ goal in the second half, which gave Torino a crucial three points at home against the Rossoneri, could not spark a Milan comeback. The visitors got off to a faster start, but after Leao missed two golden opportunities in the opening five minutes, Juric’s team was given time to settle in and execute their own strategy. Djidji and Miranchuk scored twice in the space of 120 seconds to put Pioli’s team in a difficult situation to recover from after the break. Despite making a number of attacking substitutions at halftime, they were unable to overcome this obstacle. Milan’s second defeat of the campaign keeps them in third place, while Torino moves up to ninth.
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