OPENING-DAY DEFEAT TO CREMONESE | OneFootball

A hot evening at San Siro, which ended in disappointment on Serie A matchday 1. Massimiliano Allegri took charge of the Rossoneri in a league game for the first time since his return, while Modrić started against Nicola's Cremonese. It was a tough evening, with Cremonese shutting up shop and the hosts struggling to break them down. It ended in a 2-1 defeat to the newly-promoted Grigiorossi, who were organised and clinical in attack. The tempo was low and the football bland. The Rossoneri gave away possession on a number of occasions, especially in the first half, while the guests were tough to break down.

AC Milan weren't intense enough against a side that looked solid in the first outing of the season, and the hosts failed to break through. The final blow was a Bonazzoli screamer. We need immediate improvement; it wasn't the start we wanted, but one loss won't dampen ambitions. The team need to be more fluid in the build-up and more present in the box. Ahead of their upcoming games, they will look at being more productive and managing the game better. The details will make the difference against Lecce - next Friday - and Bologna too.

CHECK OUT THE GALLERY FROM AC MILAN v CREMONESE

MATCH REPORT The first chance arrived in the fourth minute: Loftus-Cheek found Fofana, whose layoff for Gimenez was short, but the Mexican still managed a shot, which was deflected by Baschirotto out for a corner. In the 19th minute, Gabbia’s long ball found Gimenez, who put it in the net, but it was ruled out for offside. At the other end, Maignan kept out an effort from Bonazzoli from the edge of the box. After an attempt from Pezzella that hit the side-netting, Cremonese opened the scoring through Baschirotto, who, unmarked, headed home a cross from Zerbin. AC Milan struggled to respond but kept control of the game and threatened again towards the end of the first half: in the 44th minute, Gimenez shot wide after Audero failed to clear the ball. In first-half stoppage time, Saelemaekers got the better of Zerbin and found Estupiñan, whose cross was nodded home by Pavlović.

The second half began with a change as Jiménez replaced Estupiñan. The first ten minutes saw a more intense AC Milan performance compared to the first half. In the 47th minute, Loftus-Cheek broke down the right and laid it off to Tomori, whose shot went straight into Audero’s arms. Five minutes later, Audero tipped over a Modrić strike from distance. Then, the Cremonese goalkeeper failed to hold a strike from Pulisic, but no one was there to convert on the follow-up. In the 54th minute, Fofana forced Audero into another save from a Saelemaekers cross. The visitors restored their lead just past the hour mark: Baschirotto made an interception and played it out wide for Pezzella, whose cross was acrobatically fired home by Bonazzoli. AC Milan’s response lacked intensity, even if Pulisic narrowly missed the target after 63 minutes. In the final half an hour, the Rossoneri attacked but failed to truly threaten Cremonese’s goal, and the match fizzled out until the final whistle.

MATCH DETAILS

AC MILAN 1-2 CREMONESE

AC MILAN (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori (65' Chukwueze), Gabbia, Pavlović; Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Modrić (74' Jashari), Fofana, Estupiñan (46' Jiménez); Pulisic, Gimenez. Subs.: Pittarella, Terracciano; Athekame, Bartesaghi, De Winter; Musah, Ricci. Coach: Allegri.

CREMONESE (3-5-2): Audero; Terracciano, Baschirotto, Bianchetti (83' Ceccherini); Zerbin, Collocolo, Grassi (56' Bondo), Vandeputte (56' Payero), Pezzella; Okereke (65' Sanabria), Bonazzoli (83' De Luca). Subs.: Nava, Silvestri; Folino, Floriani Mussolini, Sernicola; Castagnetti, Lordkipanidze. Coach: Nicola.

Referee: Collu from Cagliari.  Goal: 28' Baschirotto (C), 46' Pavlović (M), 61' Bonazzoli (C) Booked: 48' Grassi (C), 69' Terracciano (C), 77' Payero (C), 78' Jiménez (M), 88' Bondo (C)

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