San SiroVenue·San Siro emptied with more than seven minutes plus injury time remaining in a pivotal Serie ACompetition·Serie A clash, as AC MilanTeam·AC Milan's supporters turned their frustration into chants for Paolo Maldini during a 3-2 defeat to AtalantaTeam·Atalanta. The Rossoneri, trailing 3-0 at one stage, mounted a late rally that exposed their opponents' complacency but failed to salvage a point. This result caps a dismal run of seven points from eight games, placing Milan fourth on 67 points only via a head-to-head edge over RomaTeam·Roma, with ComoTeam·Como two points further back, JuventusTeam·Juventus on 68, and Napoli on 70.
AtalantaTeam·Atalanta struck first when Giacomo RaspadoriPlayer·Giacomo Raspadori's blocked shot rebounded for Éderson to score inside the box. Nikola KrstovicPlayer·Nikola Krstovic then pinned his marker before assisting Davide ZappacostaPlayer·Davide Zappacosta for a 2-0 lead before half-time. Raspadori added a third early in the second half, beating Mike MaignanPlayer·Mike Maignan at his near post. Milan's disjointed play, hampered by Luka ModricPlayer·Luka Modric's absence and Christian PulisicPlayer·Christian Pulisic's last-minute glute injury, contrasted sharply with AtalantaTeam·Atalanta's selective pressing and role clarity.
Fans had signaled their discontent pre-match with a protest outside the stadium and a Curva Sud choreography spelling 'G.F. OUT'—targeting CEO Giorgio FurlaniCoach·Giorgio Furlani. As the scoreline worsened, remaining supporters invoked Maldini, the seven-time Serie ACompetition·Serie A winner and five-time Champions LeagueCompetition·Champions League conqueror whose technical director tenure helped secure the 2021-22 Scudetto. Dismissed in 2023 after advocating squad investment, his name resonated amid Milan's slide from second in 2023-24 to eighth last season.
A flicker of hope emerged late. Strahinja PavlovicPlayer·Strahinja Pavlovic headed home Samuele RicciPlayer·Samuele Ricci's 88th-minute free-kick. Christopher NkunkuPlayer·Christopher Nkunku, introduced as a substitute, won and converted a penalty to narrow the gap. Matteo GabbiaPlayer·Matteo Gabbia headed wide in the seventh minute of stoppage time from another set piece, but AtalantaTeam·Atalanta held firm. The final score flattered Milan, who nearly stole a draw through set pieces rather than sustained pressure.
Massimiliano Allegri's summer arrival promised Champions LeagueCompetition·Champions League security, bolstered by signings like Modric, Nkunku, Ardon JashariPlayer·Ardon Jashari, Ricci, Koni De WinterPlayer·Koni De Winter, Adrien RabiotPlayer·Adrien Rabiot, and Pervis Estupiñán. Early success, including a March victory over champions InterTeam·Inter, relied on results over flair—Estupiñán's goal in that win typified the approach. Yet individual brilliance from Pulisic (eight goals, two assists by late December despite absences) and Rafael Leão waned amid injuries, exposing tactical rigidity.
Leão, returning from a calf issue, struggled, succeeding on just one of five dribbles. Allegri's experiments, shifting Pulisic and Leão centrally, yielded initial dividends but left voids as form dipped. AtalantaTeam·Atalanta exploited this, thriving without such contortions.
Milan's earlier promise kept the title race alive, but seven points separate them from crowned champions InterTeam·Inter. Only relegated Verona and PisaTeam·Pisa, plus struggling LecceTeam·Lecce, fared worse recently. Two winnable fixtures loom—GenoaTeam·Genoa next, revived under Daniele De RossiCoach·Daniele De Rossi, then another bottom-half foe—but recent defeats, including 2-0 at SassuoloTeam·Sassuolo, breed doubt.
"I always said I would be happy to secure Champions League football even on the final weekend," Allegri remarked post-Sassuolo. That scenario now looms, with top-four security elusive and fan unrest boiling over Maldini's shadow and ownership's fiscal prudence.
AC Milan's Strahinja Pavlovic scores with a header during a Serie A match against Atalanta. (Xinhua/IMAGO)
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