Milan FC move to the top of Serie-A after Leao’s early strike was enough to overcome Sampdoria.
They should have scored a few more, with Giroud, Messias and Romagnoli all going close.
But they were superbly denied by Falcone in goal, who pulled off several outstanding saves to keep it at 1-0.
Meanwhile, Maignan was untested at the other end, with Sampdoria unable to create any chances, so Milan comfortably saw the game out.
Starting Lineup:
MILAN (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan;
Alessandro Florenzi, Fikayo Tomori, Alessio Romagnoli, Davide Calabria;
Ismael Bennacer, Sandro Tonali;
Junior Messias, Brahim Diaz, Rafael Leao;
Olivier Giroud.
SAMPDORIA (4-3-2-1): Wladimiro Falcone;
Bartosz Bereszynski, Giangiacomo Magnani, Omar Colley, Nicola Murru;
Morten Thorsby, Andrea Conti, Tomas Rincon;
Antonio Candreva, Stefano Sensi;
Francesco Caputo.
Goals:
Leao races in behind the Sampdoria defence after a long ball up from the back by Maignan.
And Leao takes on Bereszynski, sneaks past him, then cuts onto his right foot and fires the ball past Falcone to make it 1-0.
Stefano Pioli Post-match reaction:
Pioli spoke to DAZN about his side’s overall performance and the psychological impact of climbing at the top of the Serie A table: “We have to feed on this enthusiasm, our fans give us incredible energy, it’s right to absorb it,” as relayed by Milan News.
“You have to give yourself a few breaks, and you can’t always go a thousand miles per hour.
“We could have closed it earlier. So we will try to improve, but we have completed a significant and very positive week.
“We are taking a step. In the first half, we were satisfied a little too much. In the second half, we created a lot, but often we didn’t make the right play in the final phase.
“I told the team that We can also win matches 1-0; we have not conceded anything to the opponents.”
The Italian tactician commented on Leao’s performance and his incredible run of form so far throughout the second half of this year’s campaign:
“Rebic replaced him because he was dropping a bit in intensity, and I have excellent alternatives. Then you would have had another opinion if Rebic had scored.
“I am delighted with Leao, and he must continue like this. He can be decisive in all games.
“For the game we have, I prefer to take away a player in the 60th minute with no energy because he gave everything rather than a player in the 90th who still has power.
“The quantity of minutes is not essential but the quality.”
So, what’s next for Milan FC and Sampdoria?
This win moves Milan ahead of Inter and top of the table, forward of their next game against Salernitana. Meanwhile, Sampdoria remains 16th, and they’ll face Empoli next time out.
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