This morning, La Gazzetta dello Sport uses strong words to describe Milan’s collapse, or rather, their complete downfall, in Zagreb. From Fonseca to Conceição, things do not seem to have changed; in fact, with each match, they appear to be getting worse. And not due to the shortcomings of the Portuguese coach, who, having arrived mid-season, is doing everything in his power to salvage some dignity from a campaign that would be better off ending as soon as possible to spare the Rossoneri fans further disappointment.
With a soft, unacceptable attitude, Milan handed the first half to Dinamo Zagreb.
The hosts, who with greater desire and capitalizing on the unjustified nervousness of the Rossoneri players, fueled their hopes of glory, hopes that were only dashed after the 90th minute when the cruel twist of fate was revealed.
Fabio Cannavaro’s team’s victory over the Rossoneri ultimately meant nothing, as the Croatians ended up in 25th place in the overall Champions League standings.
Milan, meanwhile, slipped from sixth to thirteenth place—so many regrets for a direct round of 16 qualification that was within reach. At one point, a draw would have been enough for the Rossoneri, but that, perhaps, is a whole different story.
Milan awake, but no response:
Gabbia’s mistake on Dinamo’s opening goal, Yunus Musah’s two reckless fouls that led to his red card, Rafael Leão’s usual lack of intensity (at least in the first half)—in short, Zagreb saw the classic Rossoneri team. But this time, even a reaction of pride wasn’t enough to take back and turn around a game that had already settled into a predictable course.
By losing to Dinamo, the visitors not only missed out on approximately €16 million in Champions League earnings but now also faces the added burden of two extra matches in an already packed schedule, the playoff rounds.
Fate has decided that their opponent could be either Juventus or Feyenoord, the team of Santiago Giménez, who is now even more determined not to let the Mexican striker join Milan. In short, from the stars to the gutter, Milan now finds itself having to navigate a series of challenges to fix a situation it brought upon itself.
