Game Summary – the drama didn’t end until the whistle blew
The massive Round 22 encounter in Serie A was a hard-fought 1-1 draw between Roma and Milan at the Olimpico Stadium last night. While the match itself changed little at the top of the table, it has kept the pressure-cooker environment of the title chase alive for the rest of the chasing pack.
The Goals
Milan took the lead in the 62nd minute via a magical effort by young midfielder Koni De Winter (his first goal for the Rossoneri) that capped off an excellent piece of movement and finishing after a quick transition.
Twelve minutes later Roma equalized with some character and a spot kick converted by Lorenzo Pellegrini who calmly slotted away the penalty for the Olimpico faithful and levelled the score at 1-1.
Current Status & Recent Performance
With the 1-1 draw Milan extend its impressive run of 21 undefeated matches in Serie A and remain in second position with 47 points.
Similarly Roma’s performance under José Mourinho continue to be solid and they have now gone four Serie A games without a loss and are currently in third position with 43 points. Both teams came into the game in excellent form and that quality was evident throughout the match as the two teams engaged in a highly intense and tactical duel.
Roma vs Milan – acmilan.com
Late Drama & Tactical Analysis
Milan relied on their traditional rapid counter-attacking style using their wingers and switching quickly, while Roma attempted to control possession and create scoring chances down the center of the pitch. At the end of the game both teams had some golden opportunities to win the game but good defensive work and two alert goalkeepers meant that the match would be decided on a share of the spoils.
Quotes Post Match
José Mourinho post-match quote: “we showed some great personality in coming back from being behind. We earned a valuable point against one of the top performing teams at the moment.”
Stefano Pioli said: “the streak of not losing continues, we will keep moving forward. There are many more important games ahead.”
Impact on the Title Chase & Top Four
No change here; Milan continue to pursue the leader at the top, while Roma continue to find themselves in the mix for Champions League spots. The next round of matches are looking quite interesting; on Saturday, Feb. 2 Milan travel to Bologna to take on in-form Bologna, and on Friday, Feb. 1 Roma travels to Udine to play Udinese.
Classic Roma–Milan Drama
As expected the intensity, controversy and unpredictability that has been common to most matches between these two teams were present once again. Another exciting chapter in one of Serie A’s most historic rivalries is complete with many more questions about where the final standings will be for each team left unanswered.
