Hernandez Howler Sinks Title Hopes as Milan Draw Against Sampdoria

With the end of the first international break of the new year, Serie A teams are finally back in action this weekend as they head into the final stretch of the season. Round 29 kicked-off in Milan, where the hosts took on Sampdoria in an attempt to keep the pressure on Inter in the fight for the Scudetto.

Coming into this game, the Rossoneri were six points behind their bitter cross-city rivals, who also have a game in hand, while Claudio Ranieri’s men were pushing for a top 10 finish.

It turned out to be a disastrous afternoon for Milan as their title hopes suffered another major setback after an uninspiring 1-1 draw at home to Sampdoria.

#MilanSampdoria@IsmaelBennacer back from the start ?
Torna Isma dal primo minuto ?#SempreMilan@EASPORTSFIFA pic.twitter.com/w9dxrFCZlw

— AC Milan (@acmilan) April 3, 2021

Although Milan had much more at stake in this game given their current league situation, it was Sampdoria who took control of the game from the start and showed much more attacking drive in the early stages.

The visitors were particularly dangerous on the flanks, with Mikkel Damsgaard and Antonio Candreva challenging the opposition back line in one-on-one situations, while both Sampdoria full-backs added danger with their overlapping runs and crosses into the box.

Nevertheless, it was Manolo Gabbiadini who had the first decent chance of the game as he found himself some space after picking up a pass and unleashed a shot towards the roof of the net but could not beat Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Milan tried to respond to Sampdoria’s early threat by attacking their high defensive line with long balls over the top. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Hakan Calhanoglu were the main targets at the end of the long passes, but the visitors managed to deal with the opposition threat quite easily, playing a perfectly timed offside trap on several occasions.

After some initial pressure from the visitors, it looked as though the game would become more even as Milan had more possession and Sampdoria were forced to defend in numbers. However, this did not last long as the visitors displayed a high level of energy at both ends of the field and countered with pace.

In the closing stages of the first half, both teams were posing threat on either end of the pitch, with little ball control in midfield area as the game became more end to end.

? | FORMAZIONE

Ecco gli 1⃣1⃣ scelti da #Ranieri per #MilanSamp. #SerieATIM#FORZADORIA ?⚪️?⚫️⚪️? pic.twitter.com/CvTxoNE8yU

— U.C. Sampdoria (@sampdoria) April 3, 2021

After a disappointing first 45 minutes from Milan’s point of view, the home side showed more will and verve in the early stages of the second half. However, more hunger did not lead to created chances as Milan struggled to find a way to hurt Sampdoria in the final zones of the pitch. Their combination play often lacked penetration and quality in the final pass.

Milan’s lack of quality on the offensive end was suddenly coupled with a calamity on the opposite end. Theo Hernadez played a dreadful ball back to one of the center-backs inside his defensive third, which was intercepted by Fabio Quagliarella who got to the ball first on the edge of the box and chipped it magnificently over the helpless Donnarumma.

Immediately after conceding the goal, Milan were given a gift when Adrien Silva saw a second yellow card for a cynical foul on Castillejo.

However, despite having a player advantage, Milan struggled to create any meaningful chances. Their possession play looked ponderous and lacked urgency, with the Rossoneri sending endless crosses into the penalty area with no clear intention.

6 – Fabio Quagliarella is one of the three players to have scored 10+ goals in six different Serie A seasons with Sampdoria, along with Roberto Mancini and Gianluca Vialli. Everlasting.#MilanSampdoria pic.twitter.com/CG2vLNl5uS

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) April 3, 2021

Nevertheless, Milan managed to pull off an impressive move three minutes before the end of regulation time, which was the only high-profile action of the entire match from the Rossoneri.

It started with Hernandez initiating the move with a splitting pass to Ibrahimovic. The Swede then found Frenck Kessie on the edge of the box, who fed the ball through to the substitute Jens Petter Hauge. The young Norwegian picked up the ball inside the penalty area and calmly sent it into the right side of the goal, making it 1-1 to Milan.

In the dying minutes of stoppage time, Kessié could have even won it for Milan as he controlled an accurate pass inside the box and fired a shot goalwards, but it rattled against the left post.

 

MATCH REPORT

April 3, 2021 – Serie A 2020-2021 Round 29
MILAN-SAMPDORIA 1-1

SCORERS: 57′ Quagliarella (S), 86′ Hauge (M)