Lazio 2-2 AC Milan: Moreira’s lightning brace engineers comeback in the capital
AC Milan came from two goals down to earn a draw against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico, with Diego Moreira the star of the show.
First half: Dismal start
Amorim chose to make three changes to the starting line-up from the team that drew with Juventus last week. Samuel Chukwueze came on at right wing-back, Adrien Rabiot dropped back into the double pivot, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Alphadjo Cisse were named the attacking midfielders.
The first chance of the game fell to Milan inside three minutes, as a corner was recycled back in and met the head of Chukwueze, forcing a stretching save from Mandas in the Lazio goal.
At the other end two minutes later, Zaccagni found space to run into behind Chukwueze and sent a shot towards the far corner that Mike Maignan managed to palm away for a corner.
It was a sloppy start to the game defensive for the Diavolo as Lazio had another opportunity in the seventh minute. A lapse from Estupinan allowed a ball to be crossed in to Noslin, who fired straight at Maignan from close range.
In the 10th minute, Lazio did take the lead their early pressure suggested was coming. A move down the Biancocelesti’s left side saw Zaccagni cross low to the far post, where Cancellieri – completely left alone by Estupinan – arrived late and slotted in from a narrow angle.
Lazio then seemed happy to sit off a bit and have Milan try break them down. Chukwueze fired wildly over with an off-balance shot after cutting infield, then Mandas gave the ball away but Ramos was rather non-committal when he got the ball in a good area with back to goal and was crowded out.
The first half performance from Amorim’s men could be best described as sloppy and inattentive. Lazio again threatened when Frattesi got to a a near-post cross ahead of De Winter and flicked it into the side netting.
Milan tried to up the intensity in the build-up to the break with Strahinja Pavlovic – as he so often is – the main instigator. The centre-back started a charge forward and then got on the end of Chukwueze’s cross, but sent it over the bar.
Just when Milan perhaps needed to see the game out to half-time and regroup, they conceded another. Estupinan once again found himself beaten to a duel from a cut-back cross and Noslin bundled an effort against the crossbar. Then, De Winter cleared it onto the forward’s head, with the ball cannoning into a virtually empty net.
Second half: Diegoals
Amorim made three changes at the break, with Christian Pulisic, Diego Moreira and Yunus Musah the ones to come on, replacing Loftus-Cheek, Estupinan and Modric.
Milan’s start to the second half was livelier, with Pulisic and Musah immediately in the thick of the action. Chukwueze crossed from the left, but Mandas came out to snuff out the danger.
Ten minutes into the second half, Moreira went on a tearing run down the left that got him to the byline, where he checked back brilliantly and the ball eventually reached Chukwueze, whose shot was heroically blocked.
Just after the midway point of the first half, Milan got themselves right back into the game with a goal of real quality from Moreira. Pulisic was decisive again, opening the move with a wonderful back heel and the setting it up with a floated cross to the back post for the Belgian, who finished from a narrow angle with an incredible volley.
Just two minutes after the first goal, Milan drew themselves level in the game and it was Moreira who again popped up in the right place at the right time. Musah won the ball back in midfield, whipped in a cross for Rabiot whose lay-off was hammered first-time into the bottom corner by the wing-back, making it 2-2.
Alphadjo Cisse was very close to making it three goals in four when he let fly with a trademark right-footed curling shot from a narrow angle on the left side of the box, though it didn’t quite bend enough inside the bar post.
Omari Hutchinson came on in the final 15 minutes, and the threat continued to come from the substitutes. The Englishman crossed teasingly towards Ramos, but Mandas came out to punch. Not long after, Moreira lashed into the side netting going for his hat-trick.
With just over five minutes left, Amorim rolled his final dice as Francesco Camarda made his debut for the season, coming on for Ramos.
The final half-chance of the game would fall to Milan and to Hutchinson. A free-kick 35 yards out was laid off to the summer signing, who let fly with a wicked shot that was unfortunately straight at Mandas.
