October 24, (THEWILL) – Ismael Bennacer and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored late to lift Milan to the top of Serie A in a thrilling 4-2 victory over Bologna, who finished the fixture with nine men.
Rafael Leao and Davide Calabria both scored either side of Adama Soumaoro’s dismissal to give the Rossoneri a comfortable half-time lead. However, an Ibrahimovic own goal and a Musa Barrow strike at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara restored parity in the first seven minutes of the second period.
Before the hour mark, Bologna’s Roberto Soriano received a straight red card for a late challenge, and Milan’s Stefano Pioli earned a memorable three points thanks to late goals from Bennacer and Ibrahimovic.
Leao put Milan ahead with a deflected strike in the 16th minute, before Soumaoro was sent off four minutes later for bringing down a clean-through Rade Krunic just outside the area.
In the 35th minute, Milan took advantage of their numerical advantage, with Calabria scoring from 15 yards.
However, the hosts rallied in the second period, with Ibrahimovic – making his first start since May 9 – heading into his own net four minutes after the break to give Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side hope.
In the 52nd minute, Barrow drew Bologna level, slotting past Ciprian Tatarusanu after being played in by Soriano.
After a VAR review six minutes later, Rossoblu captain Soriano was sent off for an ugly challenge on Fode Ballo-Toure.
Bennacer powered into the bottom-left corner from 20 yards in the 84th minute, and Ibrahimovic added gloss to the scoreline six minutes later with a whipped finish from the same distance.
The Rossoneri made it far more difficult than it needed to be, but Pioli’s side can now celebrate their 11th win in 12 games after defeating Bologna.
With the win, Milan have now won eight of their first nine matches in a Serie A season for the second time, the last time being in 1954-55, when they won the title. It is enough to make their fans begin to hope again.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
