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Malaga 1-0 AC Milan

By on October 24, 2012

Malaga continue their perfect Champions League campaign and still haven’t conceded a goal thanks to a 1-0 win against AC Milan. A lone goal from Joaquin was the difference for the Spaniards.

The first half started off very slowly. Both sides transitioned forward and got some shots, but it was very stuttered and sloppy. Finally, Malaga took control of the game through Isco and Manuel Iturra. However, Milan’s defense was up to the task in stopping them. Philippe Mexes and Francesco Acerbi were solid in defense and Mattia De Sciglio was doing very well at right wing. The 3-4-3 that Allegri put together last minute was actually working. The one downside is that the majority of Malaga’s possession was in their attacking third in the center and down the right hand side while Milan’s was far deeper, near their own box. Surprisingly, they had 51% of the possession and were level on attempts with their Spanish counterparts with four. The Rossoneri conceded twelve set pieces in the first half, which Milanisti will feel nervous about, but Malaga never took advantage. Daniele Bonera or Philippe Mexes were there to clear away the danger and Marco Amelia made a couple of fine saves to keep the game level.

Even when it looked like the game would start turning against Milan, they caught a break. Kevin Constant appeared to have clipped Jesus Gamez, but upon looking at the replays, it looked soft. Luckily for AC Milan and Marco Amelia, Joaquin blasted the ball onto the crossbar, keeping the score level. It was the Rossoneri’s sixth penalty conceded since last season’s Champions League.

The second half picked up the pace. In the first few minutes, Malaga moved the ball around and looked very dangerous. A couple of very good through balls intended for Javier Saviola and Isco were read well by Daniele Bonera and by Marco Amelia. They finally found the breakthrough thanks to a brilliant Andrea Pirlo like chip from Manuel Iturra to Joaquin in the 64th minute. Up until the last five minutes, Malaga continued to dictate the match, and when Milan finally started to mount some pressure, they couldn’t produce anything. A very good win overall for Malaga.

As for AC Milan, they could’ve easily lost this game 3-0 or 4-0 if it wasn’t for Amelia and a few defensive clearances. They need to find an answer in attack as soon as possible or else they’ll be decimated in the next three games and in the Serie A. Massimiliano Allegri is still on a short leash despite what Adriano Galliani says, so he’d better start experimenting with formations in games that aren’t meaningful (Champions League games against a contender for progression isn’t one of those times) to find an answer. Giampaolo Pazzini has been poor since his hat trick against Bologna, meaning Stephan El Sharaawy and Urby Emanuelson, who weren’t too bad, had no reference point in the center. Bojan came in, but his height makes him a disadvantage on crosses.

In the end, it’s a good win for Malaga, even if they feel like they deserved at least another goal. Milan continue to struggle and will need to do the same thing they are told after every game this season: Solve this conundrum.