A hugely dominant performance from Atalanta who beat Milan at the San Siro with ease. Strikes from Romero, Ilicic and Zapata enough for the three points on offer in this exciting and end-to-end Serie A clash. Milan were poor throughout and simply couldn’t handle the visitor’s creativity in the final third.
Next up for Milan is a meeting with fierce rivals Inter in the Coppa Italia quarter finals on Tuesday evening whilst Atalanta play host to Lazio in the same competition on Wednesday.
Thank you for following our coverage of tonight’s Serie A match-up between Milan and Atalanta. Until next time, stay safe!
Cronaca
Formazioni
Statistiche
Dirette
90'+6'
FULL-TIME: MILAN 0-3 ATALANTA.19:56
90'+5'
Milan are pushing for a late consolation but the visitors are holding firm. Mandzukic angles a strike goalward but Gollini saves with relatively little drama.19:55
90'+3'
Shouts from the home side for a penalty as Ibrahimovic claims he was upended. After a short VAR check, the play continues with a Milan corner.19:52
90'+1'
Caldara makes it a triple change as he comes on for Djimsiti. 19:52
90'+1'
Palomino also joins the action at the same time. Gosens - who has been phenomenal tonight for Atalanta - departs. 19:51
90'
Malinovskyi replaces Pessina for the visitors. 19:50
90'
There'll be a minimum of six minutes of additional time played here. 19:50
89'
You’d think Atalanta would settle for 3-0 but instead of holding the possession to waste some time in these closing stages, the visitors are going for a fourth. The pace of Muriel is posing some real problems for Kjaer and co at the back for Milan.19:50
86'
15 of the 22 league goals Milan have conceded this season have come at home. Atalanta become the second team to bag three at the San Siro in 2021.19:46
84'
Gosens is booked after arriving late on Calabria. That's potentially the clearest yellow card you'll ever see. 19:44
83'
A bit of reprieve for Milan as Ilicic departs the action. Muriel enters as his replacement. 19:43
82'
Josip Ilicic has been involved in 7 goals in 6 matches with Atalanta against Milan (4 goals + 3 assists).19:42
81'
What a performance this has been from Atalanta. Structured in defence, progressive in midfield and exciting in attack. Ilicic has been instrumental and Zapata has been a handful. Milan have simply had no answer tonight.19:42
77'
A great assist from Romero who powered forward with the ball before picking out Zapata. 19:39
77'
GOOOOAAAALLLLLL!!!! 3-0 TO ATALANTA. ZAPATA!!!! Game set and match?! The visitors gain possession in midfield and outnumber the hosts on the transition. Romero then slides a ball into Zapata and the forward makes no mistake from close range.
POST! So close to a third for Atalanta. A corner is swung in by Ilicic and Zapata meets the delivery with his head. The forward powers his effort into the ground but it strikes the far post and stays out.19:36
72'
NEARLY! Mandzukic hammers his first touch in the famous red and black stripes goalward but Gollini saves brilliantly from close range. 19:31
70'
Castillejo departs at the same time for Mandzukic who comes on for his Milan debut. 19:30
70'
A double substitution for the hosts. Rebic comes on for Leao.19:29
68'
Ilicic has already attempted seven efforts on the Milan goal tonight. He’s been a key part of this Atalanta 2-0 lead.19:27
67'
A big blow for Atalanta as Hateboer is forced off with an injury. New signing Maehle is his replacement. 19:27
64'
Kessie lays the ball off to Calabria but his effort is blocked well by Djimsiti. Milan are finally beginning to put a bit of pressure on!19:24
62'
CHANCE! Atalanta nearly grab a third. Ilicic delivers a perfect cross from the right but Zapata can’t convert the golden opportunity as he heads over.19:21
59'
This match is set up perfectly for Atalanta now. The visitors love to counter-attack at the best of times and now they’ll find plenty of gaps to exploit as Milan try to force their way back into this Serie A match.19:19
57'
Mussacchio joins the action as Kalulu departs the field of play on a stretcher. That’s another tough break for Milan.19:17
54'
There’s a stoppage in play as Kalulu is downed injured. The defender took a wack moments ago and looks to be really struggling.19:14
53'
GOOOOOAAAALLLL!!! 2-0 TO ATALANTA. ILICIC!!! The Slovenian international steps up and smashes home his penalty into the bottom right corner of the Milan goal. Donnarumma got to the effort but the ball slipped right under him.
Kessie is booked for the foul that led to the penalty. 19:12
52'
PENALTY TO ATALANTA!!! Kessie elbows Ilicic in the face and the referee points to the spot. That's a moment of madness from the Milan midfielder. 19:11
51'
Robin Gosens is the only defender to have both scored 15+ goals and provided 15+ assists in the top five European Leagues since the start of the 2017/18 season.19:10
49'
Milan will shift to their more familiar 4-2-3-1 due to that substitution that was made at the break. Diaz will play right behind Ibrahimovic who was too isolated in the first half.19:07
47'
An early Atalanta shot on target as Ilicic shoots from distance. His weak effort is easily collected by Donnarumma.19:06
46'
Both sides are back out and the second half is underway!19:22
46'
A change for the hosts at the break as Diaz replaces Meite in midfield. A tough night for Meite who was probably rushed into the side too soon.19:22
It’s all seemed a bit laboured from Milan in that first half so early changes in the second 45 could well be made to freshen things up for the hosts. Castillejo and Kessie in particular have been quiet.18:51
The visitors take a deserved lead into the half time break. Milan started well but have been outplayed by Atalanta through large parts of this match so far. Romero’s headed finish from close range is the difference maker so far. 18:49
45'
HALF-TIME: MILAN 0-1 ATALANTA18:48
42'
HUGE CHANCE! Milan have a free kick that Tonali delivers a deep cross from. Ibrahimovic latches onto the cross at the back post but the Swedish forward can’t angle his body to send the effort goalward and instead the ball seemingly just hits him and goes wide.18:45
41'
De Roon and Freuler are currently winning the midfield battle this evening despite being outnumbered by Meite, Tonali and Kessie. It’s hard work for the Atalanta tandem but they’re proving that they’re more than up to the task.18:43
39'
STRIKE! Ilicic hammers his free kick right down the middle of the goal from 25 yards out but Donnarumma is equal to the effort.18:42
37'
Hernandez is booked in the aftermath. 00:41
37'
Shouts for a penalty go up from the Atalanta players as Ilicic is fouled by Hernandez but the referee adjudges that it was just outside the box. 18:40
35'
There’s a brief stoppage in play as Tonali goes down with an injury. Fortunately for the hosts, the Italian midfielder will be fine to continue.18:37
33'
CHANCE! From the subsequent free kick Ilicic decides to cross instead of shoot and the midfielder picks out Zapata superbly. The Colombian forward volleys from 20 yards out but his effort has no power on it and Donnarumma saves with ease.18:35
31'
Castillejo brings down Ilicic on the edge of the Milan box. This could be a great chance for the visitors to double their lead.18:33
29'
That breakthrough is exactly what Atalanta deserve. Milan were quickest out of the blocks but the visitors have battled back and have looked very threatening in attack.18:31
26'
It was a lovely, teasing cross from Gosens for the assist.18:32
26'
GOOOOOAALLLLLL!! 1-0 TO ATALANTA. ROMERO!!!! Atalanta play another corner short and the ball is finally delivered to the back post by Gosens. Kalulu thinks he has the situation under control but Romero cleverly sneaks around the back and heads home from close range.
Milan have a dangerous 3-on-3 situation but Ibrahimovic takes too long on the ball and is dispossessed by Freuler. It’s not quite clicking for the hosts so far in this clash. 18:28
23'
Milan have scored the most goals (15) in the first 30 minutes of play in Serie A this season (including seven of their last 12), while Atalanta (11) are joint-third in this ranking, behind Roma in second (12). Despite that, we are still awaiting a breakthrough in this match.18:25
21'
Milan are lucky to still be on level terms in this Serie A clash. Atalanta have dominated the last ten minutes and look very threatening every time they move up the field.18:23
18'
CLOSE! Atalanta nearly take the lead. Hataboer hits a wicked cross into the near post that nearly catches Donnarumma out, but the goalkeeper manages to just punch the delivery away. Ilicic drags a shot wide soon after.18:21
16'
Ilicic has already looked very dangerous for the visitors. Playing from the right wing, he’s fantastic at drifting into pockets of space in front of the opposition defence and pulling the strings for Atalanta. With Hernandez loving to advance up the pitch on that flank, Kalulu will have to keep a very close eye on the Slovenian international this evening.18:19
14'
Atalanta break and Hataboer is fed a ball down the right wing. The defender controls well and then hits a right-footed shot from 20 yards out but Meite does brilliantly to track back and block the effort.18:17
11'
Nothing comes from the corner but Ilicic is then brought down by Castillejo on the left wing and the away side have a free kick in a dangerous position. 18:13
10'
Zapata storms into the box from the left wing after holding off a challenge from Calabria and looks to find Ilicic at the back post. Kjaer recovers well though and puts the ball behind for an Atalanta corner.18:12
9'
Milan have only won once in their last 10 Serie A meetings against Atalanta (D6 L3): among teams they have faced more than three times in the top-flight since 2015/16, the Rossoneri have won fewer games against no other side.18:11
7'
Atalanta bring the ball forward for the first time in this match but Ilicic’s attempted through ball to Zapata is cut out by Kjaer. Moments later Zapata attempts to find a teammate in the box but Milan clear the danger.18:09
5'
The hosts grab an early corner which Tonali whips in with pace. Meite rises highest but his header from 15 yards out ends up going high and wide.18:06
3'
Milan have started this match very well and have dominated the early possession. Ibrahimovic squanders a huge chance but the forward is flagged offside.18:05
1'
Referee Maurizio Mariani blows his whistle and we’re underway here in northern Italy!18:02
The players are emerging from the tunnel and kick-off is just moments away.17:57
Milan are winless in their last six home Serie A games against Atalanta (D4 L2) since a 3-0 win in January 2014.17:41
Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini reshuffles his pack following two disappointing results in the league as they arrive in Milan for this vital match. Blessed with a near fully fit squad, the visiting managers opts for Toloi, Romero and Djimsiti to make up the back three with Gosens and Hateboer operating as the two wing backs. De Roon and Freuler start in the centre of the park as Ilicic and Pessina play off of Zapata who leads the line for the away side. There’s no spot on the bench for forward Alejandro Gomez who is set to leave the club in the near future.17:23
The hosts head into this huge Serie A clash on the back of some recent impressive form and as such, changes are limited. Alessio Romagnoli misses out through suspension so Kalulu and Kjaer form the back two with Hernandez and Calabria playing in the full-back spots. Kessie, Tonali and Meite anchor the midfield whilst star striker Ibrahimovic starts upfront. New signings Mandzukic and Tomori – on loan from Premier League side Chelsea – both make the bench.17:23
ATALANTA SUBS: Francesco Rossi, Marco Sportiello, Joakim Maehle, Bosko Sutalo , Jose Palomino, Sam Lammers, Luis Muriel, Mattia Caldara, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Fabio Depaoli, Matteo Ruggeri, Aleksej Miranchuk.17:19
ATALANTA (3-4-2-1): Pierluigi Gollini, Rafael Toloi, Cristian Romero, Berat Djimsiti; Hans Hateboer, Marten De Roon, Remo Freuler, Robin Gosens; Matteo Pessina, Josip Ilicic; Duvan Zapata.17:18
MILAN SUBS: Ciprian Tatarusanu, Antonio Donnarumma, Diogo Dalot, Mario Mandzukic, Ante Rebic, Jens Petter Hauge, Brahim Diaz, Mateo Musacchio, Fikayo Tomori, Daniel Maldini, Lorenzo Colombo, Rade Krunic.17:18
MILAN (4-3-3): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Davide Calabria, Pierre Kalulu, Simon Kjaer, Theo Hernandez; Soualiho Meite Sandro Tonali, Frank Kessie; Samuel Castillejo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rafael Leao.17:17
Two of Italy’s biggest outfits meet in this crucial Serie A clash. Top of the table Milan will be looking to extend their lead over fierce rivals Inter with a win, but Atalanta arrive at San Siro with their own ideas as the visitors look to qualify for next season’s Champions League once again.17:07
Hello and welcome to our live text commentary of this Serie A fixture between Milan and Atalanta.17:06
Dove si gioca la partita:
Stadio: Giuseppe Meazza Città: Milano Capienza: 80074 spettatori17:06
Milan - Atalanta is a match of 19 day of the season Serie A 2020/2021. The match will be 23 january at 18:00 in the stadium Giuseppe Meazza in Milano. Referee of Milan - Atalanta will be Maurizio Mariani with the help of Alessandro Giallatini e Fabiano Preti. At VAR there will be Daniele Chiffi.
Currently Milan is 1° in the standings with 43 points (thanks of 13 wins, 4 draws and 2 defeats); while Atalanta is 4° in the standings with 36 points (thanks of 10 wins, 6 pareggi and 3 sconfitte). Milan scored 39 goals and conceded 22; Atalanta scored 44 goals and conceded 23.
At home Milan scored 18 points (5 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses). Away Atalanta scored 16 points (4 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss). Milan in the last three matches of the season challenged Torino, Cagliari and Atalant obtaining 6 points thanks to 2 wins, 0 draws and 1 loss. Atalanta in the last three matches of the season challenged Benevento, Genoa and Udinese obtaining 5 points thanks to 1 win, 2 draws and 0 losses. In the last match Milan was against Atalanta losing 0-3 while Atalanta was against Udinese evening 1-1. The best scorer of the team coached by Stefano Pioli is Zlatan Ibrahimovic with 12 goals while the best scorer of the team coached by Gian Piero Gasperini is Luis Muriel with 11 goals.
Milan and Atalanta competed 118 times in the league. In the previous matches Milan won 51 times, Atalanta won 24 times while the number of draw was 43.
These are the statistics of the two teams in the matches played in the season:
Where to see Milan-Atalanta You can see the live match Milan-Atalanta here on Virgilio Sport starting 18:00 CET of 23 january. Discover who will broadcast live Milan - Atalanta between Sky and Dazn.
