AC Milan had to swallow a painful defeat at home against competitor Napoli. In San Siro, Matteo Politano used the penalty kick caused by Sergiño Dest, after which Olivier Giroud scored the equalizer in the second half. Still, the Neapolitans pulled the plug on a goal from substitute Giovanni Simeone. Milan is fifth after the defeat, while Napoli is joint leader with Atalanta.
Milan started with Dest on the bench and had to deal with a lot of absentees, especially in the vanguard. In addition to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was absent due to a knee injury, Rafael Leão also did not participate. The Portuguese winger was absent due to his second yellow card in the previous round against Sampdoria. Because Ante Rebic and Divock Origi were also absent, Milan coach Stefano Pioli started with Olivier Giroud as the striker. Rade Krunic took the place of Leão. Napoli also had concerns at the forefront, because Victor Osimhen is still in the basket. Giacomo Raspadori took his place in the striker. Ex-PSV player Hirving Lozano remained on the bench for the entire match.
Milan was the more dangerous party in the initial phase and had the opportunity to take the lead early through Theo Hernández. His shot on goal, however, was cleared before the line. Three minutes later, Giroud should have taken care of the opening goal. The striker’s attempt, however, only hit the bar. Another attempt by Giroud flew over the aluminum more than ten minutes later. Napoli faced attempts by Politano and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the second part of the first half. The goal was not hit, leaving both teams scoreless at the break.
Decorating Napoli and Pingles: An Excellent Marriage! ?? Dest makes a mistake and the corresponding knock is passed under Maignan by Politano ??#ZiggoSport #SeriesA #MilanNapoli pic.twitter.com/Afx33nHBk5
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) September 18, 2022
After the break, Napoli claimed a penalty after a foul by substitute Dest on Kvaratskhelia. Referee Maurizio Mariani was sent to the screen by the VAR and found that the American international was standing on the foot of the Georgian. Politano then did not convincingly take the penalty, but Mike Maignan saw the ball land just under his body: 0-1. Fourteen minutes later, Giroud tied the score. Charles De Ketelaere brought the ball to left back Theo Hernández, who prepared the ball for Giroud: 1-1. However, Milan could not enjoy the goal for long. A cross from Mario Rúi found the head of Giovanni Simeone, who extended the ball nicely with the head: 1-2. Substitute Pierre Kalulu had the opportunity to give Milan a point, but the Frenchman saw his shot hit the crossbar.
Substitute ???????????????? ???????????????? Do it! ?? The Argentine beautifully heads the 2-1 against the ropes ???? 10 minutes left for Milan to grab a point ??#ZiggoSport #SeriesA #MilanNapoli pic.twitter.com/FRc1DKh1jx
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) September 18, 2022
| No. | Team | m | W | G | V | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Napoli | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| 2 | Atalanta | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 17 |
| 3 | Udinese | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 16 |
| 4 | Lazio | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 14 |
| 5 | AC Milan | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 14 |
| 6 | AS Roma | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| 7 | Internazionale | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
| 8 | Juventus | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| 9 | Torino | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | -1 | 10 |
| 10 | Fiorentina | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| 11 | Sassuolo | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | -3 | 9 |
| 12 | special | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -4 | 8 |
| 13 | Salernitana | 7 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 14 | empoli | 7 | 1 | 4 | 2 | -1 | 7 |
| 15 | Lecce | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | -2 | 6 |
| 16 | Bologna | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | -3 | 6 |
| 17 | Hellas Verona | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -7 | 5 |
| 18 | Monza | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -10 | 4 |
| 19 | Cremonese | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | -9 | 2 |
| 20 | sampdoria | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | -9 | 2 |