Milan stumble out of the blocks with defeat to Cremonese
MILAN, Italy :AC Milan endured the worst possible start to their Serie A campaign, slipping to a 2-1 home defeat against promoted Cremonese on Saturday.
Despite controlling much of the match, Milan’s defensive frailties and costly errors allowed Cremonese to capitalise, securing just their second ever Serie A victory at San Siro.
Santiago Gimenez believed he had opened Milan’s league account early in the match, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
Instead, it was Cremonese who seized the chance to pressure a disorganised Milan, forcing goalkeeper Mike Maignan into a full-stretch save to deny Federico Bonazzoli.
The breakthrough came in the 28th minute as Milan’s defence switched off from a Cremonese corner, the clearance falling to Alessio Zerbin who whipped it back into the box for an unmarked Federico Baschirotto to thunder a header past Maignan and put the visitors in front.
Milan finally struck back deep into first-half stoppage time, as Pervis Estupinan raced to the byline and lofted a clever chip over the Cremonese defence, leaving Strahinja Pavlovic free to head home the equaliser from close distance.
Roared on by a passionate home crowd, Milan opened the second half with a barrage of efforts on the Cremonese goal, only to be denied repeatedly by goalkeeper Emil Audero.
Just as Milan seemed to be taking control, Cremonese got a goal in the 61st minute when Giuseppe Pezzella lofted a high ball into the box for Bonazzoli, who silenced San Siro with a stunning overhead kick into the net to seal the win.
In the other late match, AS Roma began their campaign on a positive note, giving manager Gian Piero Gasperini a winning start with a 1-0 home victory over Bologna, sealed by Wesley Franca’s 53rd-minute strike.
