Olivier Giroud silenced his critics by scoring twice in three minutes for Milan against Inter in their derby. Two crucial goals helped the Rossoneri turn things around.
In an extraordinary Deby Della Madonnina, AC Milan overcame Inter, with Olivier Giroud scoring a late brace to keep the Rossoneri in the title fight against all odds.
The game got off to a fast start, with both teams eager to put on an attacking display in front of a large crowd at the San Siro.
Denzel Dumfries scored a goal for the Nerazzurri in the 11th minute of the encounter, putting the game out of reach. He was, however, rightfully labeled as offside. After that, Maignan made a great save on Brozovic’s deflected shot.
In the following minutes, the home side continued to present itself as the more confident side, with Simone Inzaghi’s men playing with great comfort, almost bringing the game’s first fruit, as Nicolo Barella’s shot sailed just wide.
Dumfries came near to scoring again in the 28th minute, but Maignan’s stunning one-on-one save kept the game close.
But, seemingly out of nowhere, Milan had their first significant chance of the game in the 35th minute, with Handanovic save Tonali’s long-range drive.
SEE ALSO
- Lampard Impresses Fans With A Win
- Kepa Arrizabalaga Saving Chelsea Again
- Thomas Tuchel Tests Positive for Covid-19
- AFCON 2021 Final: Mane to Face Teammate Salah
Inter, on the other hand, reacted very instantaneously. Lautaro Martinez challenged Maignan from long range first, and Ivan Perisic volleyed the ball into the bottom right corner following a well-placed corner kick by Hakan Calhanoglu to put the league leaders ahead.
Junior Messias came in for an almost non-existent Saelemaekers as Stefano Pioli’s team began the second half with a little more zeal and desire.
Throughout the game, it was evident that the “Kessie experiment” was failing, with Milan’s play being sloppy and prone to errors. As a result, Pioli replaced the Ivorian with Brahim Diaz in the 57th minute to speed up the Rossoneri’s last third of the game.
Milan’s more proactive approach paid off in the 75th minute, when Tonali made a brilliant run, passed to Brahim Diaz, who tried for goal, but his shot was diverted to an unmarked Giroud at the far post, who leveled the game.
Three minutes later, the Frenchman had turned the game around and made it 2-1. Giroud performed a great flick to get clear of De Vrij and curled a low shot into the bottom corner, which was too much for Handanovic to handle after a fine through-ball from Calabria.
Following this extraordinary turn of events, Pioli reacted quickly and decided to fortify the midfield by substituting Rade Krunic for Bennacer for the remainder of the game.
WATCH VIDEO BELOW;
Pioli’s players performed an incredible job in the last minutes of the game to cling on to a fine victory that maintains the Rossoneri in the top four and keeps them in contention for the Serie A title.
