By: Paolo Mangone
The marquee match of the third round in the 2018/2019 Serie A season was played on Friday, August 31, 2018 at the Stadio San Siro. Milan were the home team and their opponent on the night were Roma. The Rossoneri were coming off a disappointing away defeat to Napoli where they conceded 3 goals in 30 minutes in the second half of the game. Meanwhile, their opponents, Roma, have played an extra game when they came back to draw Atalanta 3-3 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. There was a stressful atmosphere that surrounded the San Siro, as the fans knew that it was already a must-win game for the home team against a rival that would be competing for one of the Champions League spots. At around 8pm, the Milan Ultras made their way towards the stadium with the expected fanfare that would impress any neutral fan. After enjoying some Milanese street food outside of the stadium, I made my way to my seat not before going through the organized chaos of the ticket control. Those who are accustomed in attending North American sporting events will struggle to comprehend how the entrance into the San Siro can resemble a cattle pen. My seat was facing the Curva Sud Ultras where I was treated to an array of choreography, choruses and banners. You can feel the energy emanating from the Curva Sud and it is something that should be experienced by every calcio fan. It was a tense start to the game, as both teams were testing each other with brief spells of possession. The home team started to dominate as the match progressed. Milan’s tactics were clear: stretch Roma’s defense as wide as possible and to play vertical through-balls to the wing-backs, who were to provide crosses from the goal-line. This tactic payed off late in the first-half when Ricardo Rodriguez received a through-ball from Giacomo Bonaventura and played an accurate cross to an unmarked Franck Kessié who calmly placed it in the open net. His celebration was noteworthy, as he was motioning for calm from the fans. Kessié was the subject of many moans and groans from the home fans after he gave up possession multiple times earlier on in the first-half. The halftime score was 1-0 for the home team, but would Milan hold on to the lead or blow it like they did against Napoli? The answer was revealed at the hour mark when Federico Fazio seized upon a poor clearance from Milan’s defense during a corner kick to half-volleyed it past Gianluigi Donnarumma from the top of box to tie the game at 1-1. You could feel the shift in the atmosphere within the San Siro. The home fans began to worry if Milan would be able to hold on after that demoralizing collapse from the previous week against Napoli. At the hour mark, Gonzalo Higuain was played clean through on goal and rounded Robin Olsen to place the ball in the empty net. The crowd was overjoyed that they saw Higuain’s first goal for the club on his home debut. The Milan fans can finally start singing: “siam venuti fin qui per vedere segnare Higuain!”. But it wasn’t to be, as the goal was called off after VAR confirmed that it was offside. The second half continued at a hectic pace and more sloppy Milan possession led to another Roma corner kick. Steven Nzonzi brought down the ball and poked it past Gianluigi Donnarumma. Almost immediately, the home fans were screaming for VAR and it was judged that Nzonzi brought down the ball with the help of his arm. It is imperative that Serie A introduces replays for VAR in stadiums. Many fans complain that they don’t understand why VAR was invoked if they can’t see the possible infraction because the play can develop at a frenetic pace. After attending North American sporting events for over 20 years, it is obvious that Serie A’s tardiness in introducing replays for VAR is harming its brand among the fans who attend the games on a weekly basis. Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso, who realized that it had to be a must-win game, made three attacking substitutions by bringing on Diego Laxalt, Samu Castillejo and Patrick Cutrone. All three substitutes had a positive impact on the game, as Milan created multiple chances in the final 10 minutes of normal time. In the final minute of stoppage time, Davide Calabria intercepted a pass deep in Roma’s half and laid it off to Higuain, who played it through to Patrick Cutrone. The Milan youth product calmly takes the ball on in his stride and slots it home past Robin Olsen. The San Siro erupts in joy, as the fans know that they will win the game 2-1 with only 30 seconds remaining in stoppage time.I would have never imagined that in my lifetime that I would witness the home team scoring the winning goal at the Stadio San Siro in the 95th minute. It is something that you dream of, and I was lucky enough to witness it in person. I can now understand why the San Siro is also known as the Tempio del Calcio (Calcio Temple). It is because it is a place where miracles happen. I want to end by thanking my Italian tour guides, as it wouldn’t have been possible without them to attend such a memorable game of calcio.
