Monza‘s first-ever visit to San Siro in Serie A did not go as planned as Milan put four past the Serie A newbies to pocket another win in front of their zealots.
The start of the game was productive for Stefano Pioli’s side, with Brahim Diaz breaking the deadlock with his first goal of the evening in the 16th minute. Milan goalkeeper Ciprian Tătăruşanu registered the assist as his lofted through ball was gathered perfectly by the Spaniard, who made a solo run to carve out the defence and drew the first blood.
Tătăruşanu came to Milan’s rescue twice as the Romanian custodian saved the long-range shot from Stefano Sensi and denied Carlos Augusto’s thumping header a few minutes later. Just before the first half, Diaz picked up his brace with a cheeky finish with his right foot.
After the start of the second half, a flurry of substitutions followed, with Charles De Ketelaere coming on to replace Diaz, who seemed to have picked up a knock.
Divock Origi slammed the top corner with a thunderous strike to extend Milan’s lead to three in the 65th minute of the game. But the visitors tried to make a comeback, with Filippo Ranocchia’s accurate free-kick taking one back in Monza’s favour. Following the goal, Monza started putting more pressure on the home defence. But it soon backfired as Rafael Leão, who had come on as a second-half substitute, engraved his name on the scoresheet to put the game to bed.
FT: Milan 4-1 Monza
GIFN | Jyotirmoy Halder
