The escape, the run-up, the overtaking and the cold blood in the final head-to-head. It was a roller coaster ride that allowed Milan to hit the nineteenth championship in its history, the first since 2010/11 for the Rossoneri. A year characterized again by the rivalry with Inter and which saw the turning point for the men of Stefano Pioli in the direct confrontation, able to bring the title back to the Milan side of the Naviglio. On the other hand, in the 74th minute of the derby played on February 5, the Rossoneri were potentially -7 behind their rivals: then Giroud’s brace in less than three minutes brought back Leao and his teammates, giving a fundamental impetus in the head-to-head with the cousins.
A Milan that had the maturity and the strength to overturn a championship that seemed to be redirected towards Inter. The Rossoneri had already tried to make an important breakthrough at the beginning of the season, when they had combined 10 wins and only one draw in the first 11 matches in Serie A, reaching +7 on the Nerazzurri. Then, however, the first moment of tarnishing, also thanks to the commitment in the Champions League (with the passage of the round only close to and last place in the group), with the defeats, among others, against Sassuolo, Fiorentina, Naples and Spezia that had led not only to overtaking by Inter but even to the escape of Simone Inzaghi’s men in the standings.
At least until the fateful derby of 5 February, in which Milan had the character of overturning a situation that was becoming increasingly complicated, in the single game but also in the standings: before Giroud’s quick brace, as mentioned, the Rossoneri were potentially at -7 from rivals, instead finding himself at 90 ‘only at -1, with the overtaking already concluded the following day, thanks to the draw in the direct match between Napoli and Inter.
From that moment, Milan have never looked back, despite some further false passes (such as the draws with Salernitana, Udinese, Bologna and Turin) which, however, the Nerazzurri rivals have not been able to take full advantage. And, also demonstrating the mental strength of Pioli’s men, the Rossoneri reacted as well as possible to what for many was another important crossroads, namely the second leg of the Coppa Italia, won 3-0 by Inter. It looked like it could be the turning point for Inzaghi’s men. However, since that knockout AC Milan have only lined up victories, beating Lazio, Fiorentina and Verona in three fundamental successes in the race to the top, also thanks to Inter’s defeat in recovery against Bologna, and then again Atalanta and Sassuolo in the 90 minutes finals that awarded the title. And so the nineteenth Scudetto, the first of the post-Berlusconi era, will also find space on the Rossoneri’s bulletin board.
Source: Ansa
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