AfriPulse
April 11, (THEWILL) — Udinese dealt a heavy blow to AC Milan’s Scudetto ambitions with a commanding 3-0 victory at San Siro, condemning the Rossoneri to a third defeat in four Serie A outings. The result also denied Milan the chance to climb into second place behind leaders Inter.
The visitors took the lead in the 27th minute. Nicolo Zaniolo surged forward from inside his own half and found Arthur Atta, whose effort deflected off Milan defender Davide Bartesaghi into his own net. Udinese doubled their advantage before the interval when Zaniolo’s floated cross was headed in off the post by Jurgen Ekkelenkamp.
Nigeria goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, proved decisive seven minutes into the second half, producing a brilliant stop to push Alexis Saelemaekers’ half-volley from 20 yards onto the crossbar. The save kept Udinese’s cushion intact and extinguished Milan’s most threatening moment of the match.
The third goal arrived 19 minutes from time. Adrien Rabiot lost the ball in midfield and Ekkelenkamp quickly fed Atta, who beat Mike Maignan to complete the rout. It was the first occasion Massimiliano Allegri had suffered a three-goal home defeat in Serie A without his side scoring, a miserable landmark last approached when Milan lost 3-0 to Inter in February 2021.
Udinese’s victory carried broader historical significance. Having beaten Inter at San Siro earlier this campaign, Kosta Runjaic’s side became only the second Udinese team to defeat both Milan clubs at the same ground in a single Serie A season, a feat previously recorded in 2003/2004. It was also their second run of three consecutive clean sheets under Runjaic.
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Jude Obafemi, THEWILL
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
Source: TheWillNigeria | Read the Full Story…
