Milan defeated Atalanta 3-2 at “San Siro“ in a match from the seventh round of Serie A. The hosts led by three goals until the 66th minute, but allowed the team from Bergamo to reduce the gap and put pressure on the final minutes.
Gonzalo Ramos opened the scoring in the 24th minute from a penalty awarded after the video replay system intervened due to a handball by Relia Obric. Shortly before the break, Adrien Rabiot received a pass from Diego Moreira and hit the ground to make it 2-0.
Milan could have reached the third goal again from a penalty. However, Marco Carnesecchi saved Ramos's performance. Just seconds later, the hosts increased their lead. After a corner kick from Luka Modric, Rabiot headed the ball in, and Mario Gila headed it into the net for 3:0.
Atalanta returned the intrigue in the 66th minute. Nikola Zalevski crossed, and Gianluca Gaetano finished the attack with a left-footed shot. In the 81st minute, Nikola Krstovic took advantage of a pass from Raul Bellanova and reduced the score to 2:3.
In the closing minutes, the guests sought an equalizer. Mike Mengian saved a shot by Davide Zappacosta, who found himself in a good position, and Marco Carnesecchi also reflected a chance in front of Ardon Jashari. Milan maintained their lead and recorded their third home win in the championship.
Rabiot: We can't collapse like this
“Despite the victory, I'm angry, we can't collapse like this“, Adrien Rabiot told Sky Sport after the match. The French midfielder, who scored the second goal, added that Milan should have controlled the match better after a convincing start.
Coach Ruben Amorim told Sky Sport that Milan played their best 66 minutes of the season, but after Atalanta's goal they lost their pressure and confidence. “The result is the most important thing, but we have to analyze the performance“, said the Portuguese specialist.
After the success, Milan collected 15 points and temporarily climbed to fourth place. Atalanta remained tenth with 9 points. Milan have a Europa League match in England on October 22, and the team's next match in Serie A is an away match against Udinese on October 25.
Sources: ansa.it, sport.sky.it