Milan-Cremonese 1-1: Messias saves the Rossoneri in the 93rd minute, but it’s a disappointing draw

MILAN – The praise of turnover, for Pioli, is truly a utopia. It never works and this time, between depressing reserves and starters who entered badly, he was even giving birth to the most surprising of results: the home defeat with the penultimate Cremonese in the standings, which thanks to the goal invented by Okereke in the final quarter of an hour found itself more closer to salvation than she ever was. In added time, a free-kick by Messias, with a deceptive heel attempted by Krunic in the middle of a forest of shins, made it 1-1, but didn’t change the substance, even if in truth the disadvantage had arrived just when Giroud, Leao and Tonali had recently been placed on the pitch. Milan is preparing to enter the 10 most important days of its season, from Saturday 6 May match day against Lazio to Tuesday 16 May return of the Champions League semi-final derby, with the unpleasant certainty that they can and must only count on the usual suspects because he can’t rely on others.

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Yet another attempt to win a match with a formation made up mainly of reserves has failed. The suffered landing didn’t even materialize against Cremonese, fielded by Ballardini in a retouched version, because the most important appointment is Saturday’s duel with Spezia. Pioli had had the same thought, in view of the Champions League qualification match against Lazio. Without the disqualified Tomori, he had also rested Kjaer, Tonali and Krunic, but above all Hernandez, Giroud and Leao. He was a white delegation to the sizeable Belgian community in the Rossoneri shirt, which so far, with the exception of only Saelemaekers, has stood out for its dullness. Trust was misplaced. In the first half, beyond the goal disallowed by Var against Saelemakers for offside, in the eyes of the almost seventy thousand at San Siro (this too was a blank delegation, out of love), the scene of the 21st remained more than anything else, when De Ketelaere had already dribbled past Carnesecchi and finally seemed close to catharsis, he who hasn’t scored since April 2022 in the Belgian championship at Beerschot. But the roar of the crowd choked in his throat, because the torpid attacking midfielder – deployed for the occasion alongside Diaz as a false neuve in a 4-2-4 studied ad hoc for him – managed to get the ball snatched away off the ground by the goalkeeper.

The umpteenth Freudian mistaken opportunity by the hitherto more than unexpressed talent was the prelude to a second half in which, with Krunic inserted for Bannecer, another great opportunity was devoured by both Diaz (header, he who is not a giant) and Cremonese with Valeri, more or less in the same way. Okereke had also just entered, and with the first lunge he struck, feinting Kalulu and Thiaw and stabbing Maignan. The 1-1 came in extremis, on a free kick. Milan put a patch on the standings: now they are fifth, with Roma and Atalanta, and the wound burns.

Milan-Cremonese 1-1 (0-0).
Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Kalulu, Thiaw, Ballo-Touré; Bennacer (1′ st Krunic), Vranckx (30′ st Tonali); Saelemaekers (30′ st Messias), Díaz, Origi (18′ st Leao); De Ketelaere (18′ st Giroud) Coach: Pioli.
Cremona (4-2-3-1): Carnesecchi; Sernicola, Chiriches (28′ st Ghiglione, Lochoshvili, Vßsquez; Meite, Pickel; Benassi (11′ st Okereke), Galdames (39′ st Castagnetti), Buonaiuto (11′ st Valeri); Afena-Gyan (28′ st Ferrari) (13 Saro, 45 Sarr, 4 Aiwu, 9 Ciofani, 15 Bianchetti, 23 Acella, 99 Basso). All.:
Ballardini.
Referee: Pairetto di Nickelino.
Networks: in the st 32′ Okereke, 48′ Messias.
Corners: 10 to 0 for Milan.
Recovery: 1′ and 5′.
Booked: Vasquez and Ghiglione for foul play, Galdames for non-regulatory behaviour.
Expelled: Pickel for a reaction foul
Spectators: 68,136 for a collection of 1,781,190 euros.