AC Milan were a hell of a team back in the early 90s, dominating both Italy and the entire Europe in the era of Fabio Capelo. However, Rosonnerri were notorious for their 1-0 dull victories, especially against the Serie A underdogs. A bunch of ugly wins to pave the way to the title.That was the way Capelo did the job, and it worked well for the San Siro club.Fabio Capelo and George WeahAC Milan 1996 pic.twitter.com/1XnO5onxGN— AfricaFootballClassics (@AfricaClassic) August 17, 2019 Coincidence or not, the same can be said for Stefano Pioli’s contemporary Milan, as they walk towards the new Scudetto following the same pattern. There is no grace nor glory to notice in their performances, but Giroud and co. are steadily marching past the hefty challenges on the way.Juve’s ship safe in Genoan harbour as Samp fail to hurt BianconeriEmpoli was another stop on this title trip, and Rosonnerri made what was necessary to prevail unhurt after the clash with the underdogs.The game’s only goal – enough for Milan’s 1-0 win – actually came quite early and eased the pressure off the favourites. French defender Kalulu with a perfectly-executed strike, provided the host with a pivotal victory that will keep them on the top of the log.
Pierre Kalulu, he’ll pocket your strikers, score screamers, and he’s only 21 pic.twitter.com/h75dABL3DS— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) March 12, 2022 That 19th-minute winner, however, didn’t help the match itself and its uncertainty, as Empoli were too weak to fight back. The only moment, or entire minute to be precise, in which the visitors seem capable of wounding the table-toppers was in the dawn of the second half. A free-kick from the left found Asllani in the middle of the area, and the midfielder connected his forehead to the ball, but Milan’s keeper Maignan launched a panther-esque save to deny this lovely chip.Take two minutes and look at the gem that #Milan has as a goalkeeper. MIKE #MAIGNAN✨📹@CompsACM pic.twitter.com/sWi3DyBOWL— Fabio Gatto (@FabioGatto10) March 11, 2022 A corner-kick that followed brought some more excitement around the goal-line though insufficient to make changes on the scoreboard.Pioli’s last move in this uninspiring chess party was bringing in Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ante Rebic with less than ten minutes left on the clock.Rebic and Ibrahimovic (©AFP)Still, instead of bulldozing the opponents’ defence, the pair interacted more in saving all three points for their side. With the help of an inevitable homegrown time-wasting, the Serie A leaders kept their heads above water and clinched another vital victory.SERIE A – ROUND 29SaturdaySpezia – Cagliari 2-0 (0-0)/Erlic 55, Manaj 74/Salernitana – Sassuolo 2-2 (1-2)/Bonazzoli 8, Djuric 81 – Scamacca 20, Traore 30/Sampdoria – Juventus 1-3 (0-2)/Yoshida 23 og, Morata 34 pen, 88 – Morata 84 og/Milan – Empoli 1-0 (1-0)/Kalulu 19/Sunday14:30: (1.75) Fiorentina (3.70) Bologna (5.40)17:00: (3.60) Verona (3.50) Napoli (2.15)20:00: (1.35) Atalanta (4.90) Genoa (9.50)20:00: (3.35) Udinese (3.20) Roma (2.25)22:45: (5.20) Torino (3.70) Inter (1.70)Monday22:45: (1.33) Lazio (5.20) Venezia (9.00)*** odds are subject to change***