As La Gazzetta dello Sport recall, Milan have missed four penalties out of nine this year, which means they have scored only 55.6%. Four penalties were missed by four different shooters, too: Theo Hernandez, Tammy Abraham, Christian Pulisic and Santiago Gimenez.
It is symptomatic of the general unease at the club this season. In the major European league, no team has done worse (SC Freiburg have also missed four). It has the anatomy of a disaster because when it happened, the Rossoneri always lost.
The Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence has been and will forever remain in the negative symbolism of the Rossoneri season. It was October 6, 2024, the seventh game of the season. After a slow start, Milan arrived in Tuscany on the wave of three consecutive victories, including the derby.
Fiorentina had started rather badly and for the Rossoneri there was the opportunity to extend the streak. With La Viola leading 1-0, at the end of the first half Pairetto gave a penalty for Milan (Ranieri on Reijnders). Morata took the ball, Hernandez takes it from him, goes to shoot and De Gea saved.
In that same game, in the 54th minute, another penalty was given for Moise Kean’s kick on Gabbia. Tomori took possession of the ball and delivered it into the hands of Abraham who, approached by Pulisic, pushed him away. De Gea again was the hero between the sticks.
For the record the designated taker, for both penalties, was Pulisic. He didn’t have the presence of mind to impose himself, just as Fonseca did not intervene from the bench. Milan lost, and it became the latest saga after the cooling break.
The third miss came a few months later at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on February 22, 2025. With the Granata ahead by one goal, shortly after the half-hour mark a handball by Pedersen was penalised.
Pulisic took it this time but saw the giant Milinkovic-Savic in front of him, who kept him out. It is the first career error from the spot for the captain of the US national team in his career, yet another sign of a cursed season. Milan had 10 points in the previous four games and missed yet another big chance to leap up the standings.
On Sunday night at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, the fourth miss game. Once again, the one you expect to see stood over the spot is not Pulisic, but, as Conceiçao explained after the match that he is ‘one of the three penalty takers’.
He added: “They are the ones who choose who is going to take the shot, also based on how much they feel like it.” In this case, it is not a bad matter of stolen penalties like in Florence, but of a kind gesture given Gimenez has not scored since February 18. Meret saved, and Milan would lose 2-1.
