Milan have never been closer to winning the Serie A title over the past decade. A comfortable 2-0 home triumph over Atalanta brought the Rossoneri within a point from ending an 11-year title drought.
Milan headed into the penultimate round of Serie A fixtures holding a two-point cushion over defending champions and current runners-up Inter. With the Nerazzurri facing a relatively winnable task in the shape of relegation-battling Cagliari, Stefano Pioli’s men knew only perfection would do against Atalanta.
After a goalless half-time at San Siro, in-form forward Rafael Leao stole the show again. The Portuguese starlet picked up a long ball from Junior Messias and smashed it through the legs of Atalanta goalkeeper Juan Musso to fire Milan in front in the 56th minute.
Theo Hernandez put clear daylight between the sides in the 75th minute with one of the goals of the season. The highly-rated left-back took the ball on the edge of Milan’s penalty area and danced over the pitch, coast-to-coast, before hammering home to put the final nail in Atalanta’s coffin.
An all-important victory over La Dea means Milan will lift their first Scudetto since 2010/11 if they stay unbeaten away to Sassuolo on the ultimate matchday.
It has been a memorable season for Milan so far. Even though they do not have the most valuable squad in Serie A, Pioli’s lads have shown an unparalleled desire for victory and a unique team spirit.
That will likely lead them to a long-awaited league title, as even Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini admitted the Rossoneri deserve to win the Scudetto.
“Milan deserve the Scudetto. We had a good match, we stayed in the game until Theo scored. I liked Atalanta, Milan struggled to find a shot on target. We lost a bit in the final third, but I’m satisfied with the performance,” he told DAZN, as relayed by MilanNews.