Milan came back to winning ways after three defeats in a row as they edged past Torino with a lone goal from Olivier Giroud on Friday. It’s too early to say whether the Rossoneri are out of their dark period but the San Siro win will inject some confidence into Stefano Pioli’s troops ahead of their upcoming Champions League test against Tottenham.
Ivan Juric’s Torino surrendered after a courageous first half. They came closer than Milan to open the scoring in the initial stages of the game but were caught by surprise as Theo Hernandez whipped a perfectly timed cross for Giroud’s winning header. They remain seventh in the Serie A table and they can still harbor some hopes for European football next season.
Pioli reshaped his lineup once again as he tried to spark a reaction from his depressed roster. Tonight, he deployed Milan in a 3-4-1-2 fashion, with Malick Thiaw winning a starting spot in the back three, and Rafael Leao placed next to Olivier Giroud upfront as Brahim Diaz played trequartista.
Juric answered with a surprising move at midfield as he threw in the mix the debutant, 18-year-old Lithuania international Gvidas Gineitis. The Baltic put together an encouraging performance despite being subbed at half time.
The Granata showed no fear in their approach and had the better chance during a goalless first half that offered little to the show. It was up to Ciprian Tatarusanu to remedy a Simon Kjaer mishap, as the Danish defender slipped while controlling the ball in the box and left Antonio Sanabria the chance to go one-on-one with the Rossoneri goalkeeper.
In the first period, Milan showed little progress versus what seen in the past few weeks. However, their approach changed after the restart. Their chances mostly came from counterattacks. Rafael Leao was the first to test Vanja Milinkovic-Savic as he received the ball from Giroud on the counter, but the Serbian goalie was well alert and denied the Portuguese starlet.
The failed chance boosted Milan’s confidence and, a few minutes later, Milinkovic-Savic had to go above and beyond to block Giroud’s close range shot as the Frenchman was magnificently freed by Brahim Diaz in the box.
It was a sign that Milan were finally waking up from their winter hibernation. There was still time for a Sanabria shot that sailed off target by just a few inches before Giroud would find the game winner on 62 minutes.
Credit must be given to Theo Hernandez for conjuring a clinical cross from the left hand side, but Giroud’s twisting header to anticipate defender Koffi Djidji was equally beautiful. That was enough for Milan to break their winning drought.
The Rossoneri could have scored another one on 75 minutes but Hernandez squandered a golden chance from the middle of the box, wasting a Pierre Kalulu fast break. But, considering how things were going for Milan, they can be happy with just one goal and three points.
MATCH SCORECARD
February 10, 2023 – Serie A 2022-2023 Round 22
MILAN – TORINO 1-0
SCORER: 62′ Giroud
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MILAN (3-4-1-2): Tatarusanu; Thiaw, Kjaer (70’ Gabbia), Kalulu; Saelemaekers (dall’88’ Calabria), Tonali (89’ Pobega), Krunic, Hernandez; Brahim Diaz (78’ De Ketelaere); Giroud (88’ Origi), Rafael Leao (Mirante, Vasquez, Ballo-Touré, Bakayoko, Vranckx, Adli, Messias, Ibrahimovic, Rebic) Coach: Pioli |
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TORINO (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Djidji (80’ Gravillon), Schuurs, Buongiorno (57’ Vojvoda); Singo, Adopo (69’ Karamoh), Gineitis, Rodriguez; Miranchuk, Vlasic (80’ Radonjic), Sanabria (Fiorenza, Gemello, Bayeye, Aina, Ilic, Vieira, Linetty, Seck) Coach: Juric |
REFEREE: Mr. Ayroldi from Molfetta
NOTES: Yellow Cards: Kjaer (M), Gineitis, Buongiorno, Schuurs, Radonjic (T); Added Time: 1st Half: 0′, 2nd Half: 5′