Slovan Bratislava-Milan 2-3: third consecutive victory for the Rossoneri in the Champions League

Bratislava (Slovakia), 26 November 2024 – Not without difficulty, Milan breaks the bank Bratislava beating 3-2 Slovan and scores the third consecutive victory in Champions League rising to 9 points in standings. The Tehelné Pole match was a manifesto of what the team has shown in this first part of the season, capable of alternating excellent things in attack with a very precarious balance in the defensive phase, which leads to serious errors such as the one that in the 14th minute was about to cost them the lead goal. Pavlovic avoided it and stopped the conclusion of Strelec, who had already beaten Maignan, with a split. The reaction of the Rossoneri was immediate and, after having missed a golden opportunity with Pulisic, they scored thanks to the American, perfectly set up by Abraham. An advantage that lasted only 3' because in the 24th minute, a new, very serious defensive lapse arrived from the Rossoneri who, following a corner kick, were surprised by the counterattack of the Slovakians, which culminated in the equaliser of Berseghyan. After the 1-1 draw, Fonseca's men returned to the attack and in the second half they took the lead again with a deadly one-two scored by the new arrival Lion and by Abraham. Despite being down 3-1, Slovan did not give up and in the final stages tried to reopen the game with la splendida Marcelli's network, but then he had to give up definitively when he was left with ten men for Tolic's expulsion.

Fonseca and Weiss' choices

There is no shortage of surprises in the Rossoneri chessboard, deployed by Fonseca, who opts for a robust turnover, with the 4-2-3-1: in defense, the new features are the returns from the 1st minute of Calabria on the right, who has recovered from his calf problem, and those of Tomori and Pavlovic in the center with Theo Hernandez on the left. In midfield, the Reijnders-Fofana duo is confirmed, while in the three-quarter line - supporting the striker Abraham, chosen in place of the suspended Morata - there are Okafor, Pulisic and Chukwueze. Weiss instead chooses to deploy Slovan with the 3-4-3: Bajric, Kashia, Voet are the three central players covering the goalkeeper Takac. On the wings, with the task of moving up in defense when not in possession to form a sort of 5-3-1, there are instead the former Rossoneri Blackman and Medvedev, with Kucka and Savvidis completing the midfield. Finally, up front, the trident formed by Berseghyan, Strelec and Metsoko.

First half

The Rossoneri take to the field with the right attitude and immediately try to make the game happen thanks to the excellent work on the wings, especially by Chukwueze who, not surprisingly, already in the 2nd minute creates a danger near Takac with a curling left-footed shot that goes just wide. The Nigerian then claims a penalty after a contact in the penalty area that the referee and VAR do not grant, but the Rossoneri do not let themselves be fooled and continue to keep control of the game and push Slovan into their own half of the field. Fonseca's men, as has already happened several times in this first part of the season, however, make the serious mistake of going too far and in the 14th minute they risk paying a very high price when, at the end of a perfect transition, Strelec flies towards Maignan and skips past him, finishing towards the goal; Pavlovic saves the situation by diving, a few steps from the line of the unguarded goal, and takes the ball out of the goal. The Rossoneri react immediately with Pulisic who inserts himself perfectly, takes the suggestion of Reijnders and one on one with Takac strikes at half height finding the perfect response from the opposing goalkeeper. However, it takes only 5 minutes for the American to be forgiven: this time it is Milan who restart in a masterly manner with Abraham who works a ball in midfield and serves his teammate in depth who in this case does not miss the appointment with the 1-0. An advantage that lasts only 3 minutes because Milan does not give up attacking but once again, on the developments of a corner, they unbalance themselves too much, completely missing the preventive markings and allowing a counterattack that Barseghyan finalises after a long gallop with the left foot of the 1-1. A cold shower for Fonseca's men who nevertheless deserve credit for not losing the thread of the story and immediately regaining possession of the ball but without managing to get their heads back in front before the end of the first half.

Second half

Immediately after the break, it was time for Rafa Leao to replace Okafor, who had started strong but faded as the minutes went by. The Rossoneri restarted by attacking more on the right flank with an inspired Chukwueze who loudly called for a penalty in the 50th minute for a very suspicious contact in the area with Medvedev, and a minute later, Abraham missed the goal by a few centimetres on a good suggestion from Pulisic. Slovan still managed to defend themselves with order and compactness, thanks also to the entry of Ignatienko in the 65th minute in place of Metsoko, to try to give dynamism and more muscle to the midfield. However, in the 68th minute, Leao's flash of brilliance once again shuffled the cards on the table: following a free kick, Fofana found the right gap and with a vertical pass with a rev counter found the Portuguese who surprised the opposing defence and then beat Takac with a very light lob. The match opens like a bottle of champagne and Milan shakes off the pressure by loosening the reins and scoring the third in the 70th minute: Strelec completely misses a back pass to Abraham who, all alone in front of Takac, can only put the ball into the net. With the score at 3-1, Fonseca decides to give his men a break by bringing on Emerson Royal for Calabria, Musah in place of Fofana and Loftus-Cheek for Pulisic who is suffering from some ailments. At the end there is then room for the very young Camarda, but the Rossoneri are forced to deal with the pride of Slovan who in the 88th minute shortened the gap with a Eurogoal under the crossbar by the new entrant Marcelli, but then remained with ten men after Tolic was sent off for protesting and was forced to raise the white flag. The scoreboard: Slovakia Bratislava (3-4-3): Takac; Bajric, Kashia, Voet (from 75' Marcelli); Blackman, Kucka (from 75' Tolic), Savvidis (from 89' Mack), Medvedev; Berseghyan, Strelec, Metsoko. All. Vladimir Weiss. Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria (from 75' Emerson Royal), Tomori, Pavlovic, Theo Hernandez; Fofana (from 75' Musah), Reijnders; Chukwueze, Pulisic (from 75' Loftus-Cheek), Okafor (from 46' Leao); Abraham (from 84' Camarda). All. Fonseca. Scorers: Pulisic (Mil. 21'), Berseghyan (Slov. 24'), Leao (Mil. 68'), Abraham (70'), Marcelli (Slo. 88'). Note - Yellow cards: Chukwueze, Calabria, Tomori. Red cards: Tolic.