Hellas Verona v Milan Live Commentary & Result, 2021/03/07, Serie A

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	INT Internazionale	30	23	5	2	69	27	+42	74	W W W W W
2	MIL Milan	30	19	6	5	57	35	+22	63	W D W L W
3	JUV Juventus	30	18	8	4	61	27	+34	62	W W D L W
4	ATA Atalanta	30	18	7	5	71	38	+33	61	W W W W L
5	NAP Napoli	30	19	2	9	65	34	+31	59	W L W W W
6	LAZ Lazio	29	17	4	8	46	38	+8	55	W W W W L
7	ROM Roma	30	16	6	8	54	44	+10	54	W D L L W
8	SAS Sassuolo	30	11	10	9	49	48	+1	43	W L D L W
9	VER Hellas Verona	30	11	8	11	38	35	+3	41	L W L L L
10	SAM Sampdoria	30	10	6	14	39	45	-6	36	L D W L D
11	BOL Bologna	30	9	7	14	39	46	-7	34	L L W W L
12	UDI Udinese	30	8	9	13	32	40	-8	33	L L L D W
13	GEN Genoa	30	7	11	12	32	44	-12	32	L D W D L
14	SPE Spezia	30	8	8	14	40	55	-15	32	W L W L D
15	FIO Fiorentina	30	7	9	14	38	49	-11	30	L D L W D
16	BEN Benevento	30	7	9	14	30	55	-25	30	L D W L D
17	TOR Torino	29	5	12	12	42	52	-10	27	W D L W L
18	CAG Cagliari	30	5	7	18	31	51	-20	22	L L L L D
19	PAR Parma	30	3	11	16	29	59	-30	20	L D L W D
20	CRO Crotone	30	4	3	23	37	77	-40	15	L L L L W

For Verona then, it will be Sassuolo next up, on March 13 - but for Milan, it is the Europa League and the challenge of Manchester United at Old Trafford. Until then however, thank you for joining us - and have a great week!

Ivan Juric will rue this as a missed opportunity against a team who had not been firing on all cylinders before kick-off. It's a blow to their hopes of a finish that could qualify them for the Europa Conference League, and he will know it.

Stefano Pioli gets the result he wants then - and in the fashion that bodes well for his side too. They've coped without the firepower of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, better than they did last time out - and that will give them hope for success in the Europa League this week.

A maiden top-flight goal for Diogo Dalot to match Rade Krunic's first-half free-kick ensures maximum returns for Milan - and gets them back to winning ways in Serie A against Verona. The Rossoneri looked too comfortable after the break to be seriously troubled with defeat, particularly after their second - and it ensures they keep second in the league. Full-time at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi, it finishes Hellas Verona 0-2 Milan.

90' + 4' FULL-TIME: HELLAS VERONA 0-2 MILAN

Daniel Bessa

Yellow Card

90' + 3' That's a tough card for Bessa, who is shown a yellow for bringing Leao down as the Milan striker attempted to canter into the Verona box. The visitors have a late free-kick opportunity just on the edge, but play it short and around instead to no success.

90' + 2' The offside flag is up against Salcedo, just as Verona look to work a smart move into the Milan box. It's not been their day.

90' There will be four added minutes in this match.

89' Tomori gets a last-gasp block in to prevent a Salcedo cross and Milan deal smartly with the corner again. Verona just can't find the answer they are after.

88' Krunic! Moments after Milan shepherd an attempt off their own line, they break through Leao down the left wing. He crosses back inside for the goalscorer to have a crack from distance and Silvestri has to make a diving stop.

86' Faraoni now brushes a header wide of the far post following a Dimarco delivery, the ball lofted in from a free-kick out on the left wing. It's all going to be too little, too late for the hosts with these attempts, surely?

84' Salcedo has a crack from outside the box now for Verona, rifling his effort into the stands behind the goal as it clears the crossbar.

82' Now Milan win a corner of their own. The set-piece comes to nothing, but this has been a promising performance from the Rossoneri today, helping them recover some much-needed form.

80' There's been a flurry of pressure here from Verona but they still can't quite make it tell. A corner swings in and Donnarumma is there to seize on it easily enough.

J. Hauge

Samu Castillejo

78' Milan make their first change of the game now and it is Jens Petter Hauge, on to replace Castillejo.

76' Ceccherini! That is possibly the best chance Verona have had in this game, as the defender flashes a header wide of the right post from a promising delivery. They almost pulled one back there.

A. Favilli

K. Lasagna

74' Indeed, Lasagna's day is now done with Verona bringing on Andrea Favilli in his place.

73' Lasagna has had a tough day today, with Romagnoli the latest to put him on his rear with an industrial challenge. He's looking pretty fed up, to put it mildly.

71' Kessie is protesting, clutching his face in regards to an otherwise unseen incident. The referee opens dialogue with both sets of players again. It's getting a little bit antsy out there.

69' Dimarco draws the foul down deep inside his own half and eases the pressure on Verona as Milan come forward again. Those more cynical challenges are creeping back in now.

67' It's nine shots for Milan against three for Verona, and that is a clear indicator of the way this game has broken in the second half. The hosts have just struggled to find much purchase going forward.

65' The Gialloblu have a corner of their own now, but the delivery is pretty tame and Donnarumma makes a particularly easy take.

63' Magnani fends off Leao as the striker attempts to corral a delivery pushed down the right edge, It's a neat bit of defensive play and the Verona man just does enough to not concede the corner.

61' A moment of further peril for Verona now, as Saelemaekers pushes a particularly tame shot through that requires some scrambling by Silvestri to cover the trajectory, as it skitters towards the left post.

59' Milan are playing with more confidence now, afforded the chance to craft some expansive plays without fear of a particularly costly concession. It actually seems to be working better for them; Verona are struggling to carve out a counter.

I. Ilić

Miguel Veloso

58' Ivan Ilic is also brought into action by the hosts, replacing Veloso.

F. Dimarco

K. Günter

57' Verona make another swap now, bringing on Federico Dimarco for Gunter.

56' Leao gets caught in an absolutely clattering challenge about 30 yards out from Verona's goal now and the Gialloblu will have to repel the danger of a set-piece here - which they do as the ball crashes into the first defensive wall.

E. Salcedo

M. Zaccagni

54' The hosts also bring on Eddie Salcedo, who replaces Zaccagni.

Daniel Bessa

A. Barák

53' Verona make that first change now as Daniel Bessa replaces Barak.

52' That's possibly the end of Verona's chances of a win here - to find a three-goal response against a team who are second in the league would be remarkable, even given their off-colour form. They'll be making some changes soon.

A. Saelemaekers

Assist

50' Saelemaekers made a lovely run there and gets the assist as Leao didn't actually touch the ball cleanly there. The striker's leave was wonderfully intelligent and his side may be home and dry as a result.

Diogo Dalot

Goal

50' GOAL! DIOGO DALOT DOUBLES MILAN'S LEAD! 2-0! It's a first Serie A goal of the season for the Manchester United loanee! Saelemaekers cuts a blistering path down the left edge, and squares it to Leao; he half-steps it on, drawing the defence and allowing the defender to latch on unmarked and lash a finish into the top-left corner. The Rossoneri are in the driving seat!

48' It's one-way traffic in the opening seconds for Milan, but the visitors cannot carve out any clear opportunities to double their lead. Verona remain mostly untroubled by their promising field position.

46' We are back underway for the second half at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi. Can Milan see this one out in relative comfort or will Verona be able to wrestle a result back?

The Rossoneri will be happy to have their noses in front, but Stefano Pioli will know this is far from a done deal. An early second, just after the restart, will do wonders for his nerves.

Rade Krunic's absolute cracker of a free-kick is the difference at half-time in Serie A, as Milan take a slender lead over Verona into the break at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi. The visitors have pieced together some good plays, but their hosts have not been a pushover by any stretch and remain firmly in this contest. At half-time, it is Hellas Verona 0-1 Milan.

45' + 1' HALF-TIME: HELLAS VERONA 0-1 MILAN

45' There will be one added minute in this first half.

43' Dalot is the latest player to lay a heavy challenge at the feet of Lasagna, and the Verona frontman is starting to look a little angry at the treatment he's getting. The hosts' free-kick, deep in midfield, is a bust.

41' There are some scrappy, stop-start challenges here and the referee looks to have admonished both sides again. We've just seen the single booking so far, but it wouldn't be too surprising for another to pop up soon.

39' Leao can't latch onto a long ball drifted across the width of the Verona box now and punches the air as it runs dead. He's yet to get his eye in today.

37' They may be down on the scoreboard but Verona have actually seen more of the ball so far, with just over half of the possession so far. Can they find an equaliser to make it tell?

35' Barak digs his heels in and clips Castillejo as the pair wrestle for the ball near the centre-circle, and the latter is particularly mocking in his reaction to being penalised. He's perhaps lucky not to be booked for that.

33' Leao latches onto a throughball heading back downfield for Milan now, but whistles his attempted finish well over the woodwork again.

31' Now Verona win a free-kick deep on that right edge after Kessie uses a bodycheck foul on the attacker. The set-piece is pretty perfunctory however and heads straight into the gloves of Donnarumma.

29' That's been an expensive few minutes for the hosts and they look to immediately respond with their own fast counter down the right flank. Milan intercept, but the clearing header from Calabria is skewed, requiring his own goalkeeper to leap out and claim it.

R. Krunić

Goal

27' GOAL! RADE KRUNIC WITH AN ABSOLUTE BEAUTY FOR MILAN! 1-0! The midfielder makes Verona pay for that foul, as he steps up and drifts his finish into the far-top corner, clearing the wall and the goalkeeper with a corker of a powerful finish. The visitors have their noses in front.

G. Magnani

Yellow Card

26' Almost immediately, Magnani cuts Krunic down as Milan break towards the Verona box and he is booked for his efforts. There is going to be a free-kick for the Rossoneri here on the edge of the penalty area...

24' An off-the-ball incident now sees Milan handed a free-kick in midfield. The referee takes a moment to address both teams, obviously hoping to stamp out any likelihood of potential foul play going forward.

21' Just the five shots in this game so far, but there's yet to be one on target. Both sides are still testing out each other around the edges; not much ball has come through the middle channel.

19' Krunic isn't happy with that call and it's not too hard to see why; he contends for a looped pass inside the Verona box and is flagged for a handball after it accidentally comes off his elbow. A tough one to take, undoubtedly.

17' Donnarumma opts to play a ball nudged in by Faraoni out from the back and almost comes unstuck as the Verona attack try to force him into an error. Pioli will want his side to tighten up around there.

15' Leao! Oh, the Milan striker is fuming with that and no wonder. Calabria lofts a booming delivery into the Verona box and it falls just right for a powerful header - albeit one that is nudged far over the crossbar, almost into orbit. A golden chance.

13' Lazovic and Zaccagni trade a neat one-two move on the left edge that takes them into the Milan box and Calabria has to be on his guard to ensure they do not get the better of him.

11' This has been a fairly even-keeled opening, with opportunities at both ends. But it is Verona who just look a little more switched on so far. There's some work for Milan to do to ensure they don't slip down here.

9' Donnarumma! A risky move from the goalkeeper, who pounces off his line to punch a ball away that had been headed back by Tomori and that Lasagna came close to poaching. Big nerves for Milan there.

7' Castillejo spears a header well wide of the left post now, but the buildup play for Milan is far better, a succession of tika-taka-esque passes that sees them work themselves around Verona's fluid back five.

5' The momentum has been with the Gialloblu in these opening exchanges but a free-kick tipped into the hosts' penalty area allows Milan an early sniff. Saelemaekers sprays a half-volley well over the crossbar however and the danger comes to nothing.

4' Tomori muscles out Lasagna as the latter attempts to latch onto a looping delivery and Verona have the first corner of the game. It's relatively tame; the Rossoneri make quick work of dealing with it.

2' Early encroachments down the left flank from the hosts presents an early test for Calabria to deal with, but Milan's defence weather the small incursion capably enough.

1' We are underway in this Serie A clash between Hellas Verona and Milan!

The teams are poised to emerge at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi and we're moments away from kick-off.

Franck Kessie's last-gasp penalty against Udinese last time out was the only thing that salvaged a point for Pioli, so have the wheels really fallen off for Milan? This feels like a serious test of their character today.

Subs: Ciprian Tatarusanu, Sandro Tonali, Jens Petter Hauge, Pierre Kalulu, Brahim Diaz, Simon Kjaer, Matteo Gabbia, Antonio Donnarumma, Emil Roback.

MILAN (4-2-3-1): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Davide Calabria, Fikayo Tomori, Alessio Romagnoli, Diogo Dalot; Soualiho Meite, Franck Kessie; Samu Castillejo, Rade Krunic, Alexis Saelemaekers, Rafael Leao.

Subs: Federico Dimarco, Matteo Lovato, Eddie Salcedo, Andrea Favilli, Destiny Udogie, Ivan Ilic, Yildirim Mert Cetin, Alessandro Berardi, Ivor Pandur, Pawel Dawidowicz, Stefano Sturaro, Daniel Bessa.

HELLAS VERONA (3-4-2-1): Marco Silvestri; Federico Ceccherini, Koray Gunter, Giangiacomo Magnani; Davide Faraoni, Adrien Tameze, Miguel Veloso, Darko Lazovic; Antonin Barak, Mattia Zaccagni; Kevin Lasagna.

Milan will have to make do without their most fearful asset up front however, in the shape of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swede remains sidelined with a thigh muscle problem and is expected to miss this week's reunion with Manchester United in the Europa League too.

Ivan Juric's hosts though will want maximum returns for themselves against a side in shaky form - and why wouldn't they? As things stand, a top-seven finish would return them to continental football for the first time since the UEFA Cup in 1988. There's plenty to play for.

Just two wins in their last five league games has ensured a dramatic slip from the summit for Stefano Pioli's side, wounding their title hopes - and a slip-up here today could be fatal to the Rossoneri's ambitions. They need the points to stay in the hunt.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the 2020-21 Serie A season as Milan look to keep pace with league leaders and rivals Inter in a clash against fellow European hopefuls Hellas Verona at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.

Hellas Verona v Milan Live Commentary, 2021/03/07

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