AC Milan refuel at Empoli after a completely crazy end to the match
Three goals were scored beyond regulation time on Saturday, in Empoli, during the seventh day of the Italian championship.
AC Milan, despite cascading injuries, found the resources to score two goals in added time and snatch in extremis a victory that seemed to elude them at Empoli (3-1), Saturday during the 8th day of Serie A .
Empoli thought they had achieved the feat by equalizing on a free kick from Nedim Bajrami, already beyond the 90th minute (90 + 2nd). But it was without counting on the steel morale of the Italian champions who regained the advantage as soon as the throw-in, after an action concluded by defender Fodé Ballo-Touré, holder in the absence of Théo Hernandez, injured (90 + 3rd). And the inevitable Rafael Leao, passer on the opener of Ante Rebic (79th), punctuated this final bouquet with a clever lob (90 + 7th)!
More injuries
A crazy final at the end of an exhausting match for the Milanese who, already little spared by injuries before the meeting (Hernandez, Maignan, Origi, Ibrahimovic, Florenzi), still accumulated physical glitches: they lost the Belgian winger Alexis Saelemaekers, right-back Davide Calabria and Danish central Simon Kjaer, all out injured on Saturday night.
If this avalanche of injuries will seriously complicate the task of Stefano Pioli to constitute his defense Wednesday on the ground of Chelsea, in the Champions League, it did not cut the legs of the Milanese. Olivier Giroud, very active, did not spare his efforts and almost scored from a free kick, finding the top of the bar (57th). Even if the match was finally packed when he left in the 73rd minute to make way for the first scorer of the evening, Ante Rebic.
Decisive Tatarusanu
Milan can also thank Ciprian Tatarusanu, replacing Mike Maignan in the cage, hit in the calf with the Blues. The Romanian had some success at the start of the match in front of Liam Henderson (16th), but was also decisive by repelling a strike from Bajrami (74th), to 0-0. The Romanian is, like Ballo-Touré, the rather unusual hero of a victory which allows the Rossoneri to return to joint second place, three points behind leader Naples.
