AC Milan 1-0 Lazio: Leao & Maignan Secure Rossoneri Win After Late VAR Controversy | OneFootball

Lazio suffered their second defeat at San Siro this month, as AC Milan clung to their narrow lead thanks to a dubious decision from the match official.

Milan & Lazio Starting Lineups

Massimiliano Allegri launched a 3-5-2 formation spearheaded by Rafael Leao and Christopher Nkunku. Alexis Sealemaekers and Davide Bartesaghi operated on the wings, while Luka Modric took the reins in midfield, supported by Youssouf Fofana and Adrien Rabiot.

On the other hand, Maurizio Sarri confirmed the 4-3-3 lineup that beat Lecce last weekend, only making a mandatory change, with Matias Vecino replacing the injured Danilo Cataldi. Matteo Guendouzi and Toma Basic completed the midfield trio, while Boulaye Dia led the line, flanked by Gustav Isaksen and Mattia Zaccagni.

Miraculous Save from Mike Maignan

Lazio almost stunned the home supporters by taking the lead in the second minute through a free-kick converted by Zaccagni. However, Mario Gila’s powerful header was outdone by an astonishing reaction save from Mike Maignan, who confirmed his outstanding form.

Timid First Half from Both Sides

The Rossoneri almost responded with a swift counter-attack. Leao set up Saelemaekers with a clever square ball, but the Belgian’s shot was blocked by his own teammate, Fofana. While Milan had a slight advantage in terms of possession in the first half (53%-47%), the Biancocelesti were the more dangerous side.

Zaccagni managed to skip past his market on a couple of occasions. The first time, he played a square ball across the mouth of the goal, but it went begging, as none of his teammates decided to attack it. On the second occasion, he took the shot himself, but the angle was too acute to trouble Maignan, who parried it away to safety.

Milan’s most promising first-half chance fell to Fikayo Tomori, who tried to pounce on a loose ball, but the defender’s volley went wide.

Rafael Leao Gives Milan the Lead

After the break, a more tenacious Milan returned to the field, and it wasn’t long before they took the lead from a fabulous team play involving Modric, Saelemaekers and Fofana, which culminated with a square ball from Tomori towards the mouth of the goal. Leao attacked it with venom, and although his shot was too central, the power took it past Provedel.

Lazio in Survival Mode

The Diavolo’s dominance continued, as they came close to doubling their lead. However, Fofana’s shot whistled past the post, while Provedel pulled off a solid save on Leao’s header. Strahinja Pavlovic also produced a bouncing shot that the Lazio goalkeeper spilt, but it was cleared by the backline.

Chaotic Finale

In the final minutes of the contest, Lazio went all-in in attack, and they thought they had won a spot-kick when Alessio Romagnoli’s shot was blocked by Pavlovic. The referee was summoned by the VAR for an on-field review, which prompted chaotic scenes on the sidelines, culminating in the red cards for Allegri and Sarri’s assistant, Marco Ianni.

(Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)

After reviewing the episode a dozen times, the match official somehow decided that Adam Marusic committed a foul on Pavlovic (albeit it was the Serbian defender who was grabbing the Montenegrin), sparking wild celebrations from the Milan players and their supporters in the stands.

A few minutes later, the final whistle arrived to signal a narrow win for the Rossoneri, who temporarily climbed to the top of the table while awaiting Sunday’s clash between Roma and Napoli.

Milan 1-0 Lazio

AC Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana (65′ Loftus-Cheek), Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Nkunku (82′ Ricci), Leao. Subs: Terracciano, Pittarella, De Winter, Odogu, Estupinan, Jashari, Loftus-Cheek. 

Lazio (4-3-3) : Provedel; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Pellegrini (Tavares 85′); Guendouzi, Vecino (Dele-Bashiru 62′), Basic (Noslin 85′), Isaksen (Pedro 70′), Dia (Castellanos 62′), Zaccagni.

Referee: Giuseppe Collu; Assistants: Vecchi – Yoshikawa; Fourth Official: Zufferli; VAR: Di Paolo; VAR: Paterna.

Yellow cards : 26′ Tomori (M), 57′ Pellegrini (L), 64′ Gabbia (M), 73′ Romagnoli (L), 90′ Ricci (M), 103′ Zaccagni (L).