BRATISLAVA (SLOVAKIA) (ITALPRESS) – An AC Milan team distracted in defense but concrete in attack goes through 3-2 on the field of Slovan Bratislava. It was goals from Pulisic, Leao and Abraham that gave their team three valuable points, fully in the running for qualification to the Champions’ round of 16. The guests started strongly and besieged the opponent’s defense, but without creating any major opportunities. On the quarter-hour mark, however, it was the Slovaks who came close to taking the lead when Strelec, thrown vertically on one-on-one with Maignan, skipped past the goalkeeper and kicked a right-footed shot, but Pavlovic made a miraculous recovery and saved everything by sliding in. Wrong goal, right goal. At 21′, Abraham skips past the direct marker with an elegant tunnel and launches Pulisic into the net, who enters the penalty area and beats Takac with his right, signing the 1-0 score. The joy lasts just three minutes. Barseghyan took advantage of a total misplacement of the Rossoneri defense, moreover on a corner in their favor, and beat Maignan for the immediate 1-1 thanks to a soft left-footed touch underneath after crossing half the field undisturbed. Fonseca’s men regained the ball of the game, but chances were scarce. The first half ends in a draw. The Portuguese coach immediately inserts Leao, initially on the bench, in place of Okafor. After several minutes devoid of any particular excitement, it is the 7-time European champions who go back ahead in the score. At 23′, Fofana verticalized finding Leao, who took advantage of a valuable veil from Abraham and pierced Takac with a fine right-footed dig. The game effectively ends on 26′. Strelec made a serious mistake and made a back pass to the goalkeeper on which Abraham ventured, who with his right hand beat Takac for 3-1. The hosts, however, did not stand for it and in 43′ shortened the distance with the newly entered Marcelli, who signed a great goal with a left-footed shot from the distance but with the action spoiled by an obvious foul committed by the Slovak defenders at the beginning of the action on the opposite side of the field. Neither the referee nor the Var, however, detected any impropriety. Shortly thereafter, the match director ejects Tolic for protests, leaving Slovan in 10. The result will not change again. Milan thus clinched its third Champions League victory of the season and, with three days left in the league phase, climbed to 9 points with its fate firmly in its own hands.- Photo Ipa Agency -(ITALPRESS).
