Milan pulled off a sensational comeback to beat Lazio 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico and regain control at the top of the Serie A table. Despite falling behind early in the game, Stefano Pioli’s men fought back to claim an all-important three points against old foes.
Ciro Immobile struck home only four minutes into the match to fire Lazio to a half-time lead. However, Milan replied just five minutes after the break through Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman turned home Rafael Leao’s cross to restore parity before Sandro Tonali’s last-gasp winner handed the Rossoneri a crucial win.
Milan were under pressure to deliver in Rome following Inter’s 3-1 thrashing of Roma. Pioli’s side showed mental fortitude rarely seen in some of the club’s recent generations. The Rossoneri never lost their heads despite lagging a goal behind throughout the entire first half and another H2H triumph came as the reward for persistence and belief.
After seeing his team produce another jaw-dropping comeback in a high-profile fixture – following a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Inter in February – Pioli heaped praise on his players in the aftermath. The Italian manager described the Milan players as ‘lions’ and revealed what he told his personnel regarding the Scudetto race.
“It is right to be satisfied and happy for this victory. Our fans are fantastic. I am happy for my players they are lions, if I were them I would be angry because they have too little credit and instead they are showing to be strong players. My players are really too strong,” Pioli told DAZN, as relayed by MilanNews.
“I told the team that we must try to win them all, it would mean reaching 86 points. The season is difficult for everyone, not just for us, just look at what happened today in Empoli. We are only thinking of us. and to our next match.“
Milan will take on Fiorentina at San Siro next time out, looking to avenge a 4-3 defeat in the reverse fixture at Artemio Franchi.