Youth Team, Milan-Roma 1-4: three points and a good show

3 Goals and a show at the Vismara in Milan: Guidi's team conquered a clear 4-1 against Milan, joining Juventus at the top of the table. There is no Tahirovic, who all week has been training with Mourinho after the bench in Genoa, same as Volpato, the others are all available: in the midfield, it’s Pagano's turn. The first acceleration comes in the 7th minute: Satriano goes off-center on the right, jumps a man with a rebound and goes for a shot, Nava clears, the ball for Cherubini, left-footed shot, Coubis saves in front of the goal line, putting in a corner.

The Rossoneri defense fails to clear Pagano's cross from the crossbar, Cassano kicks with his left foot, placing the ball in the low corner. In the 13th minute Gala's throw into the box, backward bank by Zeroli, ball to Traoré, ball high, as was the next conclusion, by Cherubini. At half time Pagano tried, with a counterbalanced right, ball on the bottom, Milan tried to answer with a throw for Mangiameli. Baldi came out with his feet and anticipate him. More dangerous was the acceleration on the left of former Parma player Traoré: low cross, the ball darts in front of the goal, but the Rossoneri center forward does not arrive for the deflection on a slide. 

It was Milan's best moment: Alesi - the best talent of the 2004 Rossoneri, who lost the Under-15 Championship final against the Giallorossi - first warned Pisilli, then received by Bakoune and went for a shot from the right, calling for Baldi’s rejection with his fist. But soon after, Roma found the double, with a spectacular maneuvered action, initiated by Oliveras on the left: touch by Cherubini, then Pisilli, with a first touch tunnel over the direct opponent, again Oliveras for Pagano who put it in with a heel for Pisilli, right-footed shot and the ball into the net in the low corner. A spot for youth soccer: had they done it a week earlier, it would have been worth showing at the Eca convention organized by the Giallorossi at the Olimpico. Oliveras kept putting balls in from the left, Roma kept stacking up corners, and in the 35th minute Chesti found himself completely alone in the center on Cassano's strike, but he sent his header high. Traoré is the only one who creates problems for the Giallorossi. He tries from the left, wins a rebound with Missori, and lets off a dirty shot, which slips near the post. But apart from the Ivorian - who before moving to the Rossoneri had been the first 2004 to make his debut in Serie A - Milan never made themselves too dangerous, and after the first half a minute of the second half, they risked collapsing. Traoré knocked down Pagano in the box. Launched by the usual Pisilli, on the penalty spot went Missori, who, however, hit the post.

The right time

Not many changes in the second half: in the 7th minute - after a Keramitsis header, slightly high, on a cross by Faticanti - the referee indicates the penalty spot again, due to Paloschi’s foul, clearly late on Cassano. He changes the penalty taker, on the penalty spot goes number 10 Pagano, Nava guesses the shot and touches the ball but fails to remove it from the goal. The changes begin. Cuenca takes over for Gala among the hosts, in the 16th minute Guidi calls off the cautioned Pisilli and inserts Francesco D'Alessio (who in this match could have challenged his twin brother Leonardo for the first time, if a physical problem hadn’t kept him down for months). Oliveras, who scored a landmark goal on this pitch a year ago, passing through the middle of four defenders, tries a left-footed shot from outside on yet another short corner. The ball ends up high.

Ignazio Abate begun to rest his team, ahead of the Youth League, considering the game as already lost. Even though one of the newcomers, 2003 Omoregbe - after a right-footed shot by Zeroli, controlled without too many problems by Baldi, Roma's change of full-backs, Louakima and Falasca for Missori and Oliveras, and an attempt at a three-man defense with Frenchman Foubert-Jacquemin in place of Pagano - shortened the distance with a header, at the second post, surprising Baldi and Faubert, on a cross from the right by Bakoune, an interesting full-back from 2006. In the 93rd minute, Roma dropped their poker with another excellent maneuvered move. Francesco D'Alessio advances with the ball on his foot and serves Cherubini who guesses the through ball for Falasca. It was a perfect time of insertion and a precise cross from the back of the first intention. Louakima - another fullback a few meters from the goal - lets it slide because in the center of the area there is just D'Alessio, who concludes the action in a slide by finding the first goal in the category.