Milan walked away from Sardegna Arena with a precious 1-0 victory over relegation-battling Cagliari, courtesy of Ismael Bennacer’s second-half stunner. Excited about his return to the scoresheet for the first time since October, the Algerian delivered his verdict on his side’s win on Sardinia.
“It’s an important goal because we won. We have to keep working, we all try to always give our best for the team,” he told DAZN in the aftermath, as relayed by MilanNews. “We have more experience, we have been working together for two years. There are still several games left, let’s just think about the next one. Now there is a break, then when we come back we will continue to work.“
Milan had a couple of clear-cut opportunities to open the scoring in the first half, but Brahim Diaz and Olivier Giroud failed to convert. Franck Kessie also saw his outrageous long-range effort rattle off the woodwork inside the opening 20 minutes.
Despite failing to capitalise on their first-half chances, Milan continued to push forward in numbers beyond half-time. The visitors’ unrelenting attempts to break down Cagliari’s stubborn defence were rewarded just after the hour mark.
Giroud’s first-time lay-off fell to Bennacer, who struck the ball with power and purpose, straight into the bottom right corner to hand the Rossoneri all three points. Though Leonardo Pavoletti almost stole a point for Cagliari right at the death, the crossbar came to Milan’s rescue.
Stefano Pioli’s men have now won their last three Serie A matches in a row, each by the same 1-0 scoreline. Winning by a tiny margin tends to frustrate the fans, but Milan are on the right path, according to Bennacer.
“It is true that we do not score many goals, but we win. They are always three points and for us it is the same even if you win 2-3-4 at 0: 1-0 is enough. The most important thing is the end, we can’t say anything else. Head down and work to do the best possible,” he stated.
Milan will take on mid-table Bologna at San Siro when Serie A returns to action in April. For now, the Rossoneri head into March’s international break as the league leaders, three points clear of second-placed Napoli and six away from reigning champions Inter, in third.