• Match review

Milan 2-0 Genoa – Player Ratings as Rossoneri return to winning ways

AC Milan, Rafael Leao
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Milan claimed a crucial victory at San Siro to stay at the top of the Serie A table.

Milan defeated Genoa 2-0 in their Serie A game on Friday. The Rossoneri maintained their two-point lead over second-placed Inter by staying unbeaten for the 11th consecutive game.

Milan back to winning ways!

As we expected in our Serie A betting tips for the weekend, Genoa retreated into their own half early on while Milan gained possession.

Despite Genoa’s impressive defensive form in recent weeks, the Rossoneri managed to clinch an early opener through Rafael Leao.

A brilliant cross from Pierre Kalulu found Leao behind Genoa’s backline, with the Portuguese star then smashing the ball home after storming into the six-yard box.

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Milan pushed to double their lead before half-time, but their opponents managed to win most of the midfield battles. As soon as the second half started, the situation looked even worse for the hosts.

Genoa even made a few efforts to equalize the result. However, Milan’s patience and defensive integrity paid off when Junior Messias finally killed the game off in the 87th minute.

The Milan substitute received a brilliant pass from Ante Rebic just behind the six-yard box. Genoa keeper Salvatore Sirigu made a fantastic save to keep the initial shot out, but he couldn’t stop Messias from scoring the rebound.

The goal sealed a crucial 2-0 win for Milan on home soil. The Rossoneri were far from their best against the 19th-placed side. However, the win is enough to keep them at the top of the Serie A table.

What’s next for Milan?

Milan will now prepare to face their city-rivals Inter in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. The first leg of the tie ended in a goalless draw, with both sides meeting again on Tuesday. 

The Rossoneri will then return to Serie A to test their impressive defensive stability against one of the league’s top attacking lines. Stefano Pioli’s side will travel to Roma to meet Lazio at Stadio Olimpico five days after their battle against Inter.

Player Ratings

Milan: Maignan (7); Calabria (7), Kalulu (8), Tomori (7), Hernández (8); Tonali (6), Bennacer (6); Saelemaekers (6), Kessie (7), Leão (7); Giroud (6).

Bench: Messias (7), Diaz (5), Ballo-Toure (6), Rebic (6), Krunic (7).

Genoa: Sirigu (6); Hefti (6), Bani (6), Ostigard (5), Vasquez (5); Frendrup (7), Badelj (7), Galdames (6); Amiri (5); Piccoli (5), Ekuban (6).

Bench: Yeboah (5), Melegoni (5), Destro (4), Hernani (5), Gudmundsson (6).

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