Milan resurgence continues with win at Berlusconi’s Monza

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This article was published 18/02/2023 (1300 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MILAN (AP) — Resurgent AC Milan won at Silvio Berlusconi’s Monza 1-0 and moved back into Serie A’s Champions League qualifying spots on Saturday.

Junior Messias scored the only goal of the derby to help Milan to its third straight victory.

The Rossoneri appear to have turned things around after a terrible start to the year. They moved into third, three points behind second-placed Inter Milan after the Nerazzurri beat Udinese 3-1.

Runaway leader Napoli was 15 points clear.

Monza’s first league loss in 2023 upended the last unbeaten team in Serie A this year.

It was a special match as Berlusconi, along with Monza CEO Adriano Galliani, oversaw 29 trophies in 31 years at Milan before selling the club in 2017. He bought Monza the following year and took the club from the third division to its first appearance in Serie A this season.

“Playing Milan here at Monza is a dream come true,” Galliani said. “Playing with Milan in the same league is incredible, both for me and for President Berlusconi.

“There are incredible emotions that I’m struggling to put into words . . . this match was amazing and what we are doing so far is amazing.”

Monza started aggressively and Milan goalkeeper Ciprian Tătărușanu had to make two saves in the opening 72 seconds.

But those were to be Monza’s only attempts on goal in the half.

Home goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio was by far the busier goalkeeper and kept Milan at bay until the 31st minute. Matteo Pessina tried to head clear a cross but it fell to Messias, who controlled it before firing into the right side of the net.

Monza almost leveled in the 73rd but Patrick Ciurria’s shot bounced off the right upright, hit Tătărușanu on the back and ricocheted off the post again.

The 41-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimović was on the bench for a second straight Serie A match but he will have to wait longer for his first appearance since knee surgery last May.

LUKAKU GOAL

Romelu Lukaku converted a penalty at the second time of asking for his first Serie A goal in six months.

Lukaku, who has struggled with poor form and injury, saw a weak penalty saved by Udinese goalkeeper Marco Silvestri but it had to be retaken for encroachment and the Inter forward drove his second attempt into the bottom right corner.

It was Lukaku’s first league goal since August. He also scored in a Champions League group stage match in October, against Viktoria Plzen.

Sandi Lovrić leveled on the stroke of halftime but Henrikh Mkhitaryan restored Inter’s lead in the 73rd minute, following a counterattack, and substitute Lautaro Martínez sealed the match in the final minute.

It was a much changed Inter side, just four days before it hosts Porto in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.

WAIT ENDED

Sampdoria’s lengthy wait for a home goal ended but a missed penalty and a late winner saw it lose to Bologna 2-1.

Substitute Abdelhamid Sabiri converted a penalty with practically his first kick of the match in the 68th for Samp’s first home goal in the league since September.

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But Bologna goalkeeper Łukasz Skorupski saved Sabiri’s second penalty attempt three minutes later.

Roberto Soriano gave Bologna a first-half lead and Riccardo Orsolini snatched all three points in the final minute.

Samp remained eight points from safety while Bologna moved into the Europa Conference League qualifying spot.

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