Milan’s hopes of catching cross-town rivals Inter at the top of the Serie A table suffered a massive blow on Saturday early afternoon. The Rossoneri played out a dismal 1-1 draw with Sampdoria at the San Siro in the lunch-time kick-off.
Stefano Pioli’s men put up a dismal first-half performance, failing to produce a single shot on target against a stubborn Sampdoria defense.
Despite a bright start to the second half, Theo Hernandez’s horrendous mistake propelled the visitors to a well-deserved lead. Fabio Quagliarella latched on the Milan left-back’s misplaced pass to chip the ball over Gianluigi Donnarumma just before the hour mark.
However, the home side’s hopes of fighting their way back into the game received a boost only two minutes after falling behind. Adrien Silva picked up his second yellow card of the game, turning the tide in Milan’s favor.
Although 10-man Sampdoria stood firm at the back for most of the match, second-half substitute Jens Petter Hauge settled the score in the 84th minute.
Milan almost completed the turnaround in the dying moments of the game, but Franck Kessie’s deflected attempt rattled the right post.
In the end, the hosts had to settle for a draw, as Pioli admits his players should have done better.
“We did too little, we played with little rhythm, and our approach was not the right one. It was a complicated match for us,” the Milan boss said, as quoted by MilanNews.
“Sampdoria played in the same way they played in the first game. Today there was less rhythm. We favored their defense which was well placed.
“Today I struggle to be happy. The performance had to be different; there were all the right situations to play with more intensity and quality.
“This must make us disappointed and embittered. Now we have to show that we can start off well right away.”
Despite refusing to hide his delight for the goal, Milan savior Hague knows this result may have well ended his team’s chances in the title run-in.
“I’m happy for the goal, a great goal. We didn’t win and therefore, it’s difficult to be fully satisfied, but a point is better than zero. We have to keep working and improving,” he said (via MilanNews).
Milan now look highly unlikely to return in contention for the league title. Inter can stretch their lead on the summit to eight points with a win at Bologna later this evening.