AC Milan 1-1 Atalanta
Atalanta were left with regrets after their visit last night at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium as the home team shared the spoils with them during their latest Serie A match.
The high-flying AC Milan squad has maintained their superb form as they dealt their opponents’ Serie A 2020 odds for a title with a heavy blow.
Although Atalanta moved up to the second place with 75 points along with two matches to play, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side are five points adrift of Juventus, who are on the brink of glory as they need one more win to secure their ninth consecutive Scudetto.
The league leaders recently lost to Udinese, and that gave Atalanta some glimmer of hope coming into this game.
However, the home team had the edge from the get-go, which includes an early goal from Hakan Calhanoglu that put them on top.
The visitors drew level with a Duvan Zapata score midway in the first half. But the succeeding half saw a defencive slug-fest to which neither club found the back of the net.
It was unusual to see these two struggle on the attack especially since these are two of the best teams since the league restart.
Nonetheless, there were still some notable Serie A 2020 highlights that we have witnessed and SBOBET is here to give you a recap of last night’s action.
Highlights of the game
Right after the whistle sounded, AC Milan and Atalanta turned the intensity up early on as they tried to draw first blood.
In just within the first four minutes, Marten de Roon was brave enough to try a rasping long-range strike. However, his shot came a bit higher than the crossbar.
And then a few minutes later, Atalanta’s Papu Gomez would test AC Milan’s defence in two occasions, which includes teeing up Duvan Zapata for a header that missed wide along with a low strike as he raced past four red shirts.
Ante Rebic later on was fouled by an Atalanta defender on the left flank which gave the Rossoneri a free kick. And then Hakan Calhanoglu would capitalise as he delivered the first goal of the night.
The Turkish winger sent a beautiful curling free kick that sailed over the hands of Pierluigi Gollini during the 14th minute.
Atalanta would have their chance of equalising when the VAR ruled that Ante Rebic stomped on Ruslan Malinovskiy inside the box, earning himself a penalty. However, the Ukranian’s spot kick was brilliantly saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Duvan Zapata slid the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma to bring his team to equal terms before the end of the first half as multiple AC Milan defenders failed to clear the ball out during the 34th minute.
The game went back and forth in the second half as both teams were desperate in trying to break the deadlock and they both had some viable chances in the game’s closing moments.
Papu Gomez launched a similar strike that he had early in the first half, while Duvan Zapata’s attempt inside the box was deflected off of an AC Milan defender.
As for AC Milan, Giacoma Bonaventura would try his luck late when Rafael Leao pushed for a counterattack but Pierluigi Gollini deflected it away.
Key statistics
As a clear evidence that these two struggled to score, AC Milan and Atalanta have combined for only three shots on target despite having 23 attempts between them.
The home team had the slight edge in possession with 51-per cent while their visitors had their share too at 49-per cent.
AC Milan and Atalanta are two of the best teams since the restart. And while they’ve canceled each other out in this game, one can’t simply ignore their hot scoring streaks.
The Rossoneri scored 28 goals while La Dea have recorded 26 goals after the coronavirus-mandated hiatus.
Duvan Zapata continues to deliver for Atalanta, as he became the league’s fifth-leading scorer with 18 goals along with six assists.
Meanwhile, Hakan Calhanoglu is still reliable as ever for AC Milan, having scored eight goals along with assists this term.
What’s next?
AC Milan and Atalanta have two more games left this season and they should take care of business in order to succeed with their objectives.
The Rossoneri have a chance to move up to the fifth spot and formally secure their Europa League spot as they will take on Sampdoria and Cagliari next.
On the other hand, Atalanta still have a puncher’s chance for the title and they would need to win against Parma and Inter Milan to boost their slim odds.
After that, they will turn their focus to the Champions League as they will face Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals.
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