In Milan’s “Scala des Fußballs” Salzburg only played second fiddle when looking at the final result. Only one win would have been enough for the round of 16 promotion. But you continue to play as third in the Europa League. A success, because that wasn’t always fixed during the 90 minutes. When Dinamo Zagreb took a 1-0 lead after seven minutes in the 2-1 draw against Chelsea, Salzburg were eliminated entirely for four minutes due to their own early deficit. Fortunately, Chelsea FC, which had already been promoted, did not want to embarrass themselves at home.
The fact that Salzburg didn’t have enough was probably also due to the heated atmosphere in the sold-out football temple in the San Siro district of Milan with 75,000 spectators. This was particularly evident when Olivier Giroud conceded a very cheap header to make it 0-1 after 14 minutes, as well as when they thoughtlessly missed chances in the early stages.
It was evident that Salzburg were trying to put their opponents under pressure in their own stadium. Maurits Kjaergaard could have turned the game around 120 seconds from the 0-1. However, he finished too quickly in the penalty area. That’s the only reason why Milan’s central defender Fikayo Tomori was able to clear the slide. Had Kjaeergard taken the ball again, Milan goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu might not have had a chance to save. And Adamus could have done more with a central shot from the turn (18′). AC Milan did better. When Giroud’s header made it 0-1, the Frenchman had maximum escort protection on the five (14th).
0:2 fell after 46 seconds
And after the break, the game was over before it had even really started. After a cross from the left, Giroud headed the ball free, and Rade Krunjic used his assist after just 46 seconds to make it 2-0 into the Salzburg goal. At the time, the visitors’ central defense had just been reorganized because Bernardo had to replace Oumar Solet, who had already been limping in the first half. It probably wouldn’t have been enough without Solet’s injury. At 0:3, Milan’s Portuguese winger Rafael Leao showed why his market value is 70 million euros. Single-handedly, he let the Salzburg defense stand and Giroud converted his assist with his second goal to make it 0:3. Substitute Brazilian Junior Messias (91′) put the end to the game.
Source: Nachrichten
