Italy:AC Milan grab late win over Hellas Verona in stunning comeback
AC Milan's French forward Olivier Giroud celebrates after scoring during the Italian Serie A football match between AC Milan and Hellas Verona on October 16, 2021.Image credit: Getty Images
Serie A, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza – AC Milian 3 (Giroud 59′, Kessie 76′ pen., Gunter 78′ o.g.) Hellas Verona 2 (Caprari 7′, Barak 24′ pen.)
By Our Sports Desk
AC Milan went top of Serie A after coming back from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 at home against a revived Hellas Verona side.
In a game headlined by controversial penalty decisions, a 59th-minute header from Olivier Giroud instigated an impressive comeback.
Franck Kessie later scored the equaliser from the penalty spot, sending Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo the wrong way after a seemingly generous decision from Alessandro Prontera to penalise Marco Faraoni for allegedly bringing down Samu Castillejo.
Only a couple of minutes after equalising, Castillejo was involved again as Milan completed their unlikely turnaround.
The Spaniard’s low cross was miskicked into the back of the net by Koray Gunter, who was attempting a first-time clearance.
It was a disappointing conclusion to the game for Verona, who have looked a much-improved team under new manager Igor Tudor and led 2-0 at half-time.
Their opener came inside the first ten minutes when Gianluca Caprari volleyed home from close range, and they doubled their lead when Antonin Barak converted a penalty in the 24th-minute after Alessio Romagnoli brought down Nikola Kalinic – the first of many contentious penalty decisions throughout the evening.
Milan will hope to win in easier circumstances when they travel to play Porto in a Champions League clash on Tuesday, while Verona will want to redeem themselves against Lazio next Sunday.
