AC Milan Dominates Venezia 4-0 in a Solid Display
AC Milan has emerged victorious over Venezia in an easy 4-0 win in their tie, with lots of contributions from star players Theo Hernandez, Christian Pulisic, and Tammy Abraham in the win. It wasn’t an even game at all at San Siro as the home team enjoyed overwhelming possession of the ball throughout the game and thereby capitalized at the vital moments to pocket all three points. Given the bookish demonstration of their art, Milan blended tactical discipline to individual brilliance, leaving little for Venezia to pick up after the first onslaught on them.
Early Goal Sets the Tone
AC Milan started the match with an excellent level of ferocity and didn’t wait for long before opening the scoring. In the 2nd minute, the agile left back of AC Milan, Theo Hernandez, made a good use of a pass from Rafael Leao. Hernandez found the space in the box and drove the shot which resulted past the Venezia goalkeeper to put Milan one-up 1-0. This was one of those nights for the visitors.
Venezia seemed to have a torrid time establishing themselves in the game. The visitors spent most of the game on the back foot at the hands of AC Milan’s high press and quick movement with the ball.
Yacine Fofana Doubles the Lead
The second came in the 16th minute with Yacine Fofana, after Christian Pulisic laid a perfectly weighted pass on a plate, using his tight turn and low shot from outside the penalty area to beat the Venezia keeper to double Milan’s lead.
Fofana was a constant presence in midfield, obviously helping the attack, but also breaking up Venezia attacks on them as well. His goal speaks to his intelligent positioning and deep understanding of the game he is playing on.
Pulisic’s Penalty Gives Milan Control
Just as it looked like Venezia were going to draw even, a penalty to AC Milan that was won after 25 minutes proved to be the turning point for Milan. Christian Pulisic took the spot kick and chipped it into the bottom corner with his usual coolness that finally settled the game, as well as handed his side a three-nil lead.
Pulisic was again at the heart of the attacking play as he proved to be an important character for Milan since the day he was sent off from Chelsea. The constant threat by his vision and ability to create chances made the game an uninterrupted threat.
Tammy Abraham Converts Another Penalty
Four minutes later, Pulisic’s penalty, Milan earned their second spot-kick of the encounter after foul on Yacine Fofana in the box. This time, it was striker Tammy Abraham who took that responsibility, accepting the challenge. Abraham, signed this summer from Roma was not being misguided as he sends the goalkeeper the wrong way, putting AC Milan 4-0 ahead by the 29th minute.
The poise in Abraham under pressure highlighted his experience and clinical nature in front of the goal. This physical presence and movement outside the ball gave quite a lot to think about for Venezia’s defense, as he played a critical role in being able to combine Milan’s attack.
Venezia Not Able to Respond Much
Despite being behind throughout the game, Venezia was still seen to flourish when their attacker, Joel Pohjanpalo, looked to create a few attacks; the away team was powerless against Milan’s defense. The backline led by Fikayo Tomori and Matteo Gabbia were resolute for the hosts, as it took Venice only one shot on target for the match.
As if things weren’t bad enough for Venezia, midfielder Hans Nicolussi Caviglia was given a second yellow card in the 73rd minute for a careless tackle. The last hope of Venezia went down to ten men and the rest of the match was but a distant memory.
Pioli’s Tactical Genius
But Stefano Pioli, AC Milan head coach, was the first to praise the efforts of his team. The high pressing game didn’t let Venezia find any solid passing rhythm, and their midfield successfully controlled the possession of the ball, making 573 passes into the box while Venezia could just manage 337. The tactics helped ensure little to no opportunity for Venezia to build something meaningful; Milan was always threatening in the final third.
Pioli could rotate the available personnel during the second half by bringing on individuals like Noah Okafor, Samuel Chukwueze, and Yunus Musah. It’s through this that Milan displayed a degree of depth they have never had, allowing AC Milan to easily take control at the end of the match.
Defensive Structural solidity and world-class goalkeeping provided AC Milan with, yet another, solid framework for building their potential, while Atalanta’s poor structure and shooting displayed their lack of ability to think and challenge Milan.
Milan committed no errors during the match
Matteo Gabbia earned a yellow card in the 38th minute, but beyond that, AC Milan made no error. Venezia took only six shots in the game, of which just one bothered Milan’s keeper, Mike Maignan, who was satisfied with a routine save. That was also a testimonial to how good AC Milan were at defensive management, since Venezia did not get chances to shoot at any point.
For the defense, it was pretty contrastive since the backline was frequently exposed by quick transitions from the side of AC Milan. The Venezia goalkeeper managed to make four saves, but it could hardly do much to stop the bombardment that Milan staged upon.
What to Expect Next for the Milan and Venezia?
Victory to AC Milan seals the place at top of Serie A table. The Rossoneri look promising at the beginning of the season, having won three out of four to start the season. With players like Pulisic, Abraham, and Hernandez in solid form, AC Milan truly seems to be challenging to miss this season for Scudetto.
On the other hand, Venezia will need to pick themselves up rapidly from this crushing defeat. They haven’t fared well so far this season, and at this point, they’re nearly in touching distance of the bottom rung of the table. Coach Paolo Zanetti will need to reel things back in order and produce a team that looks for a bit more creativity on the attack if they are to dig their way out of the hole of relegation.
Conclusion: A Defining Win for AC Milan
AC Milan made this a statement result with the 4-0 scoreline, demonstrating attacking verve and defensive solidity in equal measure. Theo Hernandez and Christian Pulisic played to his usual standards while Tammy Abraham topped off the first half performance with a penalty taken in the last minute of a first half which in theory should have been dominated by Venezia. But long periods of the time were spent chasing shadows and this result does nothing to help them, rather to make things even tougher to get out of a relegation fight altogether.
A win like this sends a strong message to the rest of Serie A; they are here to stake claims this season.
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