AC Milan vs. Atalanta That was one of the most exciting matches I saw this season. Down 3-0 with an own goal from Maldini in the first minutes and two spectacular goals by Rossini, Milan looked dead. Then Inzaghi scored a beautifully placed shot to the far corner and ran the ball back to the halfway line, basically saying, it's not over and it wasn't. Milan came back to score twice. The match tying goal came at the 79th minute on a header by Pippo to come away with a point. Wow! Great! Great! match! Great job by the referee.
I thought the referee could have been a lot better. That was not a penalty to Inzaghi, thankfully Rivaldo missed.
Did it happen in the first 15 minutes? I was running around and only caught bits and pieces until the 15-20 minute mark. Where I felt he did a great job was in the application of advantage. He really allowed, indeed, created an atmosphere conducive to the dynamic play of the match.
It evened out though because Atalanta had two hand balls in the box in the second half that weren't called. As for the game, the bad start was Ancelotti's fault. He played today's match without the defensive midfielder that has come to epitomize the Milan midfield. It appeared that Rui was playing that position and that is not his strength. We got down early because Atalanta had too much room down the middle. When Pippo went down and the penalty was given I was screaming for Carlo to put Pirlo in. He heard me too leate as Rivaldo missed the pen. Everybody who has taken a pen this year has missed except Pirlo. Tomasson played good off the bench today but I was surprised he came on for Seedorf who I felt was playing much better than his counterpart on the other wing, Serginho. It now appears Serginho is a much better sub than starter. Costacurta was out of his element today on the right back and was beaten many times for head balls. Maldini had his worst match of the game. It appears Juve will win and go 4 points clear of us. I hate to say it but I don't think Milan will win Serie A this year. We have put most of our attention on europe and it has paid off for us at the expense of our league form. But I would be happier if won CL.
This match is currently (3pm PST) on the international channel (RAI) here in NorCal. I thought the Rivaldo missed penalty right before halftime would have totally demoralized Milan.
First off, my very first trip to the San Siro was with my Dad on Nov 5 of 2000. Milan-Atalanta. 1-3 at the half, 3-3 full time. Very,very eerie With the above quote, I was thinking the exact same thing. Though Serginho created chances in the first half, he was a huge liability on defense. He is extremely blessed as a winger, but is a role player. A midfield with Rui Costa, Seedorf, Serginho and Rivaldo with only Gattuso doing the defensive work is a disaster. We need a Pirlo/Ambro/Redondo for balance, and the way Atalanta ran all over the defense in the first half was a direct result of our lineup. Rossini's first goal was fantastic, though, and you really can't feel too bad about giving up one when someone makes the most of a difficult chance. From Rui Costa hitting the post immediately after the break to Taibi deflecting Rivaldo's shot, the second half was all Milan, and honestly, it should have been 3 points. JDT played very well...the shot he had near the end (I think the 80th minute) was a great bit of individual work. I'm still not a fan of Helveg, nor of Costacurta on the wing. Pippo's two goals were great (the first one a great example of using your body to shield the ball), and more than atoned for going down soft on the PK call. I wouldn't say the season is lost by any means. Milan hosts Juve in 3 weeks, and the derby is in 5 weeks. Plus, the final run is Como (H), Brescia (A), Bologna(H) and Piacenza(A). Inter: Atalanta (A), Parma (H), Modena (A), Perugia (H) Juve: Lazio (A), Perugia (H), Reggina (A), Chievo (H) I'd say Milan's last 4 games are easier than Juve's and about the same as Inter's.
Best match I've seen in some time. The commentator was quite good too (for mood that is, the other guy on there a lot is snoresville). Just a great fightback though. Surely that team feels a league title is possible.