AC Milan missed the possibility to drag three factors clear on the high of Serie A because it was held to a 0-0 draw by Bologna on Monday.
The consequence left Milan only one level forward of second-place Napoli with seven matches remaining. Defending champion Inter Milan was 4 factors behind its metropolis rival however having performed a match fewer.
Milan had 33 efforts on aim however could not break the impasse. The Rossoneri have managed 69 makes an attempt in its previous three matches however solely scored twice.
“It’s easy to analyze the match, we couldn’t manage to find the spark to get the ball into the net,” Milan coach Stefano Pioli mentioned. “It wasn’t a mental block, or pressure… we were just lacking in the final 20 meters, unfortunately it’s a period where we are creating a lot but we’re not being clinical.”
It was Bologna’s first match since coach Siniša Mihajlovic returned to hospital for therapy for leukaemia. He beat the illness in 2019.
Mihajlovic briefly coached Milan six years in the past and there was message of assist for him on the massive screens earlier than the match.
Bologna hasn’t scored a aim since February, the identical spherical during which Milan final conceded a aim, nevertheless it was the guests who had the higher of the early probabilities with Rossoneri goalkeeper Mike Mignan compelled into various saves together with a incredible one to fingertip a scorching shot from Musa Barrow over the bar.
Milan had probabilities of its personal and Theo Hernández despatched a strong effort simply previous the appropriate submit within the thirty third minute.
It went even nearer on the stroke of halftime with a towering header from Olivier Giroud, which was stopped by Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski.
Milan ought to have damaged the impasse within the 61st however Davide Calabria’s shot was deflected simply previous the far submit by a last-ditch sliding sort out from Bologna defender Gary Medel.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who’s coming back from harm, was introduced on with 20 minutes remaining however the veteran Milan ahead was unable to alter the consequence.
Ibrahimovic was left bleeding and completed the match closely bandaged after a conflict of heads with Medel, who was unable to proceed.
FIRST DEFEAT
Relegation-threatened Genoa suffered its first defeat below coach Alexander Blessin because it misplaced 1-0 at Hellas Verona.
Genoa had drawn seven matches and gained one since Blessin changed Andriy Shevchenko in January.
Giovanni Simeone netted within the fifth minute as he simply beat a defender to a by way of ball and poked it in at full stretch for his sixteenth league aim of the season.
Gianluca Caprari additionally noticed a curled effort fingertipped onto the appropriate submit by Genoa goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu.
Genoa remained three factors from security.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
