Milan snatch a hard win from the backyard of Monza

Goals: Monza – AC Milan – Played on 02/18/ 2023

Milan snatched a hard-won victory from its host Monza, 1-0, in the meeting that brought them together, Bio Power Stadium, in the 23rd round of the Italian League.

Junior Messias scored the only goal of the match in the 31st minute.

With this victory, Milan raised its score to 44 points and jumped to third place in the ranking table, equally with Inter, who will face Udinese tonight, while Monza’s balance froze at 29 points in 11th place.

Monza entered the match quickly and threatened Milan’s goal in the first minute of the match, after Curia launched the ball from the left side to fire a shot at the near corner, Tatarusano blocked it and turned it into a corner.

In the corner, which was executed inside the area, the striker Bethany flew on it to turn it with a header between the three sticks, with which the goalkeeper shone again to save his team from an early goal.

The first threat to Milan came in the 19th minute after Liao received the ball on the left wing to fire a missile shot from the borders of the Monza penalty area, which passed next to the left post of goalkeeper De Gregorio.

Milan had a double chance in the 25th minute after a quick counterattack carried out by Messias, who cut the ball from the middle of the field, to pass it to Origi, who fired a creeping ground shot that was blocked by the goalkeeper and bounced off him, so Diaz caught up with it and followed it up with a shot that hit the goalkeeper and ran for a corner.

De Gregorio shone and denied Milan the opportunity to score the first goal in the 29th minute, after Liao passed a ball over the Monza defense to Tomori, who assumed the role of the striker, and fired a powerful shot toward the net, the goalkeeper shone and saved it with an excellent reaction.

In the 31st minute, Messias managed to score the first goal of the meeting for Milan, after a cross ball was dispersed by the defense to fall on the penalty area line in front of Messias, who fired a powerful shot that touched the goalkeeper’s hand and passed into the net.

And from a ball that Rouvella tried to disperse from inside the area, it hit his colleague Ezzo to reach Tonali in front of the goal, who tried to pass a cross to Origi, but the defense managed to remedy the matter to keep it away.

Monza came close to adjusting the score in the 52nd minute after a ball was cut by Coria and passed to Danny Motta on the right, who in turn passed it to Petagna inside the area and fired a shot that was blocked by Tatarusano.

Theo Hernandez had an opportunity to double the score for Milan in the 57th minute after Tonali passed a ball from the midfield to Liao, who took possession of the ball, but Theo kicked it in front of him to penetrate into the area and fire a shot that hit the side net.

Theo was close to doubling the score again in the 66th minute, after a through ball passed by Kronic deep in the defense to Theo, but the latter failed to receive it and pay it after Kyoria succeeded in cutting the ball in front of him, so the Milan back fell and demanded a penalty kick.

And Milan returned after only two minutes to threaten the Monza goal again, after Liao launched from the left side inside the area and fired a shot at the goal, the goalkeeper blocked it and turned it away for a corner.

The 71st minute almost resulted in the equalizing goal, had it not been for the misfortune that befell the homeowners, after Curia hit a shot that hit the left post, bounced off the back of goalkeeper Tatarusano, bounced back, hit the post again, and passed out of the field for a corner.

The recklessness of Milan’s attack missed an opportunity in the 85th minute to kill the match after Theo set off with the ball from the left side to be passed by Giroud and reached Tonali, who hit the ball to be blocked by the goalkeeper and bounced back to be followed by Salemerikiris from inside the six yards, but Pesina, the Monza defender, shone and pushed it away from his own goal.