AC Milan’s dreadful season took yet another bitter turn as they were beaten right at the death by Lazio, losing 2-1 at San Siro.
Lazio took the lead in the first half when Mattia Zaccagni was on hand to fire home a rebound from Adam Murisic’s shot, and then when Strahinja Pavlovic got a straight red card midway through the second half it looked like game over.
Milan roared back with ten men and actually equalised through Samuel Chukwueze’s header inside the final 10 minutes, and yet there was time for a late sting as Mike Maignan was adjudged to have fouled Gustav Isaksen inside the box, with the penalty converted by Pedro in the 97th minute.
The result means that the Rossoneri are now ninth in the league table and not only are the top four hopes definitely over, but any hopes of European football at all are starting to look slim.
Sergio Conceicao made two changes to the starting line-up from the game against Bologna on Thursday night, with Matteo Gabbia coming in to partner Pavlovic at the back, and Christian Pulisic taking the place of Joao Felix.
It didn’t even take Lazio two minutes to carve Milan open with Zaccagni playing a lovely though ball to Dia in behind, who got one on one with Mike Maignan and drew a brilliant save from the goalkeeper who stuck a leg out decisively.
The away side continued to have the better of the chances, with Pavlovic lucky not to score an own-goal after a cut-back from Tavares was deflected onto his shin but it ricocheted just wide. Then, Isaksen lashed a volley just wide of the right post from the resulting corner.
It was an eerie atmosphere in the opening 15 minutes without the Curva Sud present as they were protesting. The jeers from those who were inside the ground only intensified when Yunus Musah gave the ball away in a dangerous position and was forced into a last-ditch recovery tackle to halt Dia going through on goal again.
Milan’s first shot on goal took 18 minutes to arrive and it came when Rafael Leao cut inside off the left and threaded a pass to Tijjani Reijnders, who opened his body and failed to really test Provedel from around 10 yards out. Moments later, Alex Jimenez went on a weaving run into the box before skying a left-footed shot.
In the 28th minute, Lazio took the lead that their pressure had threatened. Pavlovic tried to cut out a pass but misjudged it and Isaksen then found the forward run of Marusic, whose low angled shot was parried by Maignan straight to Zaccagni for a tap-in.
With eight minutes to go until the break, Conceicao decided to make his first change as Musah came off and it didn’t seem to be due to injury. Joao Felix replaced him, and it came not long after the American had tried to backheek a through ball to Santiago Gimenez.
Right before the half-time whistle – and the whistles from the fans present – Zaccagni hit another volley just wide of the upright with Maignan rooted to the spot, and it really was centimetres away from doubling the advantage.
Conceicao made another change at the break with Jimenez withdrawn after being run ragged by Zaccagni and Tavares, so Kyle Walker came on to take his place.
The opening to the second half was frantic and Lazio really should have made it 2-0 when Tavares pulled the ball back to the edge of the area and the onrushing Gigot was waiting in acres of space, yet his tame side-footed effort was easily saved.
Joao Felix perhaps should have done better with a snapshot from just inside the box a few minutes later, though his rising effort flew over the crossbar. At the other end, Zaccagni’s curled a shot wide of the far post.
As Milan piled on the pressure and camped in the Lazio half, a couple of moments made it seem clear it wasn’t their night. Firstly Gabbia was found in behind and hammered a low cross that Provedel somehow clawed to the only spot in the box without a Rossoneri player present, then a cross from the left was glanced wide of the far post by Gimenez.
Things went from bad to worse midway through the second half as they went down to 10 men. Fofana lost the ball for the umpteenth time and Isaksen led a counter but was taken out by Pavlovic as he attempted to dart through on goal, with the referee Manganiello showing a straight red card.
Conceicao reacted by bringing Fofana off for Malick Thiaw, but he also chose to replace Pulisic with Samuel Chukwueze too.
Second after Dia had seen a goal disallowed for offside, Luka Jovic was brought on to replace Gabbia in a final roll of the dice from Conceicao.
In the 85th minute, Milan equalised a bit out of nowhere. Leao tried another one of his cut-in-and-cross moves, hanging up a ball to the far post where Chukwueze was the man surprisingly on the end of it, heading in off the crossbar.
It was a wide open and chaotic end to the game at San Siro, one that resembled a basketball match. Tavares saw a free-kick well saved by Maignan, then Leao led a dangerous counter but put a bit too much on the pass that would have put Gimenez through on goal.
With virtually the final kick of the game, Lazio won it and it came in very controversial circumstances. Isaksen went down claiming to have been taken out by Maignan despite the fact that ball had already gone for a goal kick, yet the referee was called over to the VAR monitor and gave the spot kick after just one replay. Pedro took on the responsibility, and sent Maignan the wrong way.
