Atalanta - AC Milan 1-1
Often the case, an onslaught of Milan attacks aimed at unsettling the hosts from the very outset. The Bergamo natives didn’t budge an inch though, comfortably matching the intensity of the reigning Scudetto champions. The Rossoneri came close with the first clear-cut opportunity from Junior Messias’ shot that lodged into the side-netting midway through the half, before Atalanta overturned a poor six-match home streak. Having not scored first in any of their last six home league matches, Ruslan Malinovskyi struck with typical aplomb, finally ending that dismal record via a powerful left-footed drive that left Mike Maignan floundering.
Milan did raise the tempo thereafter, looking for a much-needed equaliser, but saw themselves lacking creative finesse in the final-third. Having led Atalanta in both their previous visits here at the Gewiss Stadium, the visitors found themselves dealing with a different beast this time around, and could do little to level the scoreline going into HT.
Stefano Pioli’s men edged closer to an equaliser after the break, with efforts from Pierre Kalulu and Rafael Leão flying just wide of the home side’s goal, before the Parma-born tactician brought on the aces at his disposal with the onset of the final 30 minutes. Newcomer Charles De Ketelaere impacted proceedings almost immediately by threading a through ball into the path of Sandro Tonali, who forced Juan Musso into a wonderful save. However, Atalanta couldn’t hold the Milan blitz for long, finally falling through in the 68th minute, when Ismaël Bennacer executed a superb Robben-esque finish from the right wing as he cut inside and curled in the leveller.
La Dea failed to take control of the game thereafter, succumbing to the pressure of the champions time and again. A disoriented display by Gian Piero Gasperini’s men in the second period will certainly arrive as an eye-opener. Despite that, they avoid defeat in their first home game of the season for the third consecutive time. Meanwhile, Milan fail to extend their win streak to three consecutive away matches in Bergamo.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ismaël Bennacer (AC Milan)
Bologna - Verona 1-1
Looking to register their first back-to-back successes over Bologna since 1978, the visitors were fractions away from getting off to the perfect start. With less than a minute on the clock, Thomas Henry’s close-range effort struck the underside of the crossbar before falling a matter of millimetres short of crossing over the line.
Hoping to continue their formidable record at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara going, after three victories from their previous four H2H encounters, the hosts responded encouragingly, accumulating a plethora of goalscoring opportunities to keep visiting goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipò on his toes. After a prolonged period of pressure in the final third, Bologna were eventually rewarded in the 21st minute when Marko Arnautović clinically steered the ball into the bottom left-hand corner to culminate an exquisitely-crafted Rossoblù team goal.
With HT rapidly approaching, the visitors were back on level terms in the 43rd minute when Henry majestically leapt above a statuesque Bologna defence to direct a commanding header past Łukasz Skorupski. However, there was more excitement to come before the interview when VAR intervened to deny the hosts after instructing referee Matteo Marcenaro to strike off Riccardo Orsolini’s venomously struck shot after the Italian international had strayed marginally offside in the build-up.
Looking to consolidate an easily-accessible defensive unit that had conceded nine goals in their previous two competitive matches, the visitors found themselves under unprecedented pressure to begin the second half, as Montipò remained attentive to any impending danger. In pursuit of regaining their lead, Bologna manager Siniša Mihajlović rolled the substitutional dice by introducing Emanuel Vignato into the fray.
Despite playing the final 12 minutes with ten men after Orsolini was shown a straight red card, the visitors were ultimately left frustrated in their pursuit of a first victory at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara since April 2016. Meanwhile, Bologna will be left rueing an abundance of missed opportunities after claiming only a point in Emilia-Romagna.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Thomas Henry (Hellas Verona)
