Chapter 669: Shaarawy, who is in full condition
Just when most people thought the game would end with a score of 3-0, El Shaarawy, who had just scored his first goal of the season in the second half, gave the fans a goal that was even more exciting than before.
In the 39th minute of the second half, Felipe received a cross from El Shaarawy near the corner of the penalty area on the left side and sent a cross directly to the goal.
Mandzukic, who was outflanked in the middle, pushed the ball into the far corner of the goal against Acerbi, but at the moment when the football was about to cross the goal line, Cannavaro Jr., who was saved in front of the goal, kicked the ball out of the penalty area with a barb.
However, just when the fans in the stands were bemoaning Mandzukic's header, the football kicked by Cannavaro Jr. flew in front of El Shaarawy.
El Shaarawy, who was very active in the game, first unloaded the ball to the right with his chest to avoid Magnunelli's pounce, and then picked up his right foot to complete a volley without waiting for the ball to land.
Although goalkeeper Consili made an accurate judgment, the football kicked by Al-Shaarawy seemed to have eyes, and "accurately" bypassed his right hand and grazed the post on the right side of the goal and drilled into the goal.
After seeing the ball crash into the net and then crash into the goal, El Shaarawy took off his shirt like a frenzy and ran to the South Stand, where AC Milan's diehards were gathered, before closing his eyes and opening his arms to the cheers of the diehards.
Although the strength of the visiting Sassuolo team was very limited, Mihajlovic never expected that Shaarawy, who had not scored for nearly a year, not only scored a brace in the game, but also scored two goals one after another.
So much so that El Shaarawy received a yellow card for stripping to celebrate the goal, and Mihajlovic did not have the slightest intention of blaming the other party on his face, but smiled and gave him a round of encouraging applause when El Shaarawy subconsciously looked at the bench defense.
Moments later, Mihajlovic turned his attention to Feng Quan on the bench.
If it weren't for Feng Quan's insistence on keeping Shaarawy in the summer, I'm afraid the little pharaoh would have said "goodbye" to the team! ”
Mihajlovich, who was emotionally moved in his heart, couldn't help but feel a little admiration for Feng Quan.
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Although he was suspended from training and fined by the team for publicly complaining about too little playing time, and was even issued an "expulsion order" by Fengquan, in Mane's own opinion, the club's move is just to achieve the goal of knocking the mountain and the tiger, rather than really trying to get rid of him.
Even if they are really not part of the club's future plans, the team will at least wait until next summer to sweep themselves away.
The reason why Mane thinks the club will not really drive him away is because he is indeed the most comprehensive striker other than Feng Quan and Mandzukic.
On the other hand, the vast majority of clubs have limited funds to bring in signings during the winter transfer window, and even if AC Milan really want to sell themselves, it will be difficult to sell them for a good price in the winter.
However, when Mane saw that El Shaarawy, who had "grabbed" his position, not only scored a brace in the game, but also scored two wonderful goals, he finally realized how dangerous his current situation really was.
"If El Shaarawy can continue to perform like this, I'm afraid the club will really kick me out without mercy, right?"
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When El Shaarawy made it 4-0, the game went into garbage time.
However, in order to enjoy the applause of the fans for Shaarawy, who was exceptionally good in the game, Mihajlovic replaced him with Boly with two minutes to go.
Al-Shaarawy, who almost won the "European Golden Boy Award" for his outstanding performance in the 2012-2013 season, although it is not the first time to accept the cheers of the fans, after the highlight performance of that year, the little pharaoh, who has saved AC Milan many times by himself, has not experienced such a wonderful feeling for a long time.
So much so that as Shaarawy walked to the sidelines, tears glistened in the corners of his eyes.
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Three days after a four-goal win over Sassuolo, AC Milan are back on the challenge of Chievo at their home turf.
Due to the double match in a week, Mihajlovic made several changes to the starting lineup.
At the back, Desiglio replaced Felipe Luiz at left wing-back, while Calabria, who made his Serie A debut against Udinese, was on the right wing.
In midfield, Pjanic and Kucka, who have been outstanding since the start of the new season, were on the bench for this game, with Montolivo and Boly coming in for them in the starting line-up, while Japanese star Keisuke Honda was once again in the midfield position.
With Mandzukic rested, Feng Quan reappeared in the center forward position, forming a forward partner with El Shaarawy, who performed well in the previous round.
Although Feng Quan is a central striker, his years of playing habits and all-round ability have allowed him to spread his area of activity throughout the front, and he often retreats to near the halfway line to relieve the pressure on his midfield teammates when Pjanic is resting on the team's midfield playmaking ability.
If Feng Quan's position on the field is relatively fixed, the opponent can also use the two-player or even three-man trap to limit his attack in the local area, but in the case of a wide range of retreats, Chievo's defenders and defensive midfielders are in an awkward situation at the same time.
If the defender chooses to follow the wind, then the rest of AC Milan's attacking players will take advantage of the void he leaves behind; Similarly, if the defensive midfielder is full of defense, the space he leaves behind will also become an offensive breakthrough for AC Milan.
As a result, Chievo had no choice but to set up a bus near their own penalty area, hoping to get a draw by sacrificing attack.
However, in front of AC Milan, whose morale was at its peak, Chievo's "big bar tactic" lasted only 20 minutes before conceding the goal.
After hitting the wall with Keisuke Honda and Shaarawy in the middle, Feng Quan hit the wall near the top of the penalty area, and sent the ball into the upper left corner of the opponent's goal with a powerful burst.
In the 37th minute, Fuquan passed the ball to Keisuke Honda on the side with his back to the goal at the edge of the penalty area.
Keisuke Honda received the ball and first feigned his feet to attack the goal, but when the two opposing defenders pounced on him, he sent the ball into the space on the left side of the box with a pick-and-roll pass.
Inserted into the penalty area, Shaarawy first unloaded the ball with his chest to avoid Dainelli's scaf, and after a slight adjustment, he curled a ball with the inside of his right foot to rewrite the score to 2-0.
AC Milan slowed down the pace of the game in the second half, but when the game entered the 19th minute, El Shaarawy helped Feng Quan to complete a brace.
Considering that they would have to rush to Rome to challenge Lazio in four days, so when the team basically sealed the win, Mihajlovic let Feng Quan leave the game early and accept the cheers of the fans.
Niang, who came on as a substitute for Feng Quan, was very active, but in the face of the opponent's dense defense, it was always difficult to find a good opportunity to score.
And El Shaarawy, who has been in good form in the past two rounds, has also become the focus of Chievo's defense after Feng Quan left the field, and he was unable to break through the opponent's defense as calmly as before.
In the end, until the referee blew the whistle at the end of the game, the score remained 3-0 on the field.
AC Milan's back-to-back wins have certainly made the fans happy, but El Shaarawy, who has been stumbling for two seasons due to injury, has made them even more excited by their excellent performances in the last two rounds.
With AC Milan's current form and staffing, as long as there are no large-scale injuries, even if there are no new signings in the winter transfer period, there is a good chance of winning the Serie A title.
However, if the team wants to return to the top of Europe, the team will need more good attackers to help the wind share the attacking pressure.
If El Shaarawy can repeat his peak form in 2012-2013, he will be able to rank among Europe's top strikers, if not as strong as Feng Quan.