Milan easily beat Empoli 3-0 on a rainy afternoon in Tuscany – and Chaka Traore, the boy from Ivory Coast, got off the bench to score his second Milan goal in as many appearances.For Milan, it was one of those matches where the points seemed assured in advance. Such games can often be deceptive and tricky, but the Rossoneri smoothly handled business in the 19th round of Serie A. They visited the Stadio Carlo Castellani after four winless league away matches and finally broke the streak. They defeated the weakest attacking and worst home team in the Italian elite, Empoli.CHAKA TRAORE SCORES NOW ALSO IN THE LEAGUEwith an assist from Pulisic after an incredible run.pic.twitter.com/yVIXplWovo— ꜱᴄᴏᴜᴛ7ᴄᴀʟᴄɪᴏ (@Scout7Calcio) January 7, 2024 Despite facing the weaker Tuscan side, Stefano Pioli didn’t want to leave anything to chance and fielded the strongest available lineup given the club’s health situation. The attack was led, as often this season, by Olivier Giroud, Rafael Leao, and Christian Pulisic, with each contributing to one of the goals. The Portuguese player assisted Ruben Loftus-Cheek for the opening goal in the 11th minute, Giroud executed a perfect penalty kick shortly before the half-hour mark, and Pulisic, towards the end of the game, set up the second goal for the young substitute, Chaka Traore, in the Milan shirt.At halftime, with the hosts trailing by a two-goal margin, Tommaso Baldanzi tried to initiate a response as the second half commenced, forcing Mike Maignan into a routine save. While the hosts aimed to gain a crucial foothold, Milan was determined to secure a third goal that would effectively seal the game. Following his earlier goal, Loftus-Cheek narrowly missed the target with a long-range effort, and Christian Pulisic had his header tipped over by Elia Caprile after connecting with Leao’s cross.Despite coming close to increasing their lead, Stefano Pioli’s team had to maintain focus defensively. Maignan made a save from Matteo Cancellieri, and Theo Hernandez deflected Francesco Caputo’s rebound behind, ensuring Milan’s resilience. In the 88th minute, Chaka Traore scored his first Serie A goal, sealing the game for Milan. While the visitors hold on to third place, Empoli finds themselves two points away from safety after going winless in their last seven matches.
