November 21, (THEWILL) – At Stadio Artemio Franchi on Saturday night, the irrepressible Zlatan Ibrahimovic continued to make history with a performance several players half his age will envy as a near-hattrick display was the best that AC Milan could boast of in their disappointing loss to Fiorentina.
Ibrahimovic scored his 400th goal in domestic football at 40 years and 48 days to became the third oldest player ever to find the net in Serie A. The Swede scored his first goal on October 30, 1999, when 15% of the players with at least one match in Serie A this season were not yet born.
Yet, the efforts of the football great were insufficient as their hosts disrupted Milan’s progress with a tight 4-3 win at home in the Stadio Artemio Franchi, denying Stefano Pioli’s side the chance to go top of Serie A on a night when the highlight of the game was Ricardo Saponara’s incredible strike.
Milan was behind 1-0 after only 14 minutes, despite their composure and control. Milan goalkeeper Ciprian Tătăruşanu made a costly error by dropping the ball on a corner, and Alfred Duncan tapped in from close range.
Just before halftime, Fiorentina increased their lead when Saponara scored that stunner, curling a wonderful effort into the top corner and sending the crowd berserk in celebration at the Artemio Franchi. The delicate genius of the effort set Milan reeling once more.
Dusan Vlahovic, the talisman of Fiorentina, demonstrated his worth after 60 minutes, as the Viola expanded their lead in a clinical manner. A clever touch to pull the ball away from Tatarusanu’s feet was followed by a superb finish from an acute angle into the far corner.
However, with 20 minutes to go, the match was finely poised as the ageless Ibrahimovic got on the scoresheet in the 62nd and 67th minutes.
But, in the 80th minute, Vlahovic doubled his tally for the evening as he took advantage of some more shoddy defending, this time from Theo Hernandez. Nicolas Gonzalez snatched the ball from the France defender on the edge of the box and set up the Serbian striker, who scored from close range with aplomb.
That effort put the game out of reach for Milan, but Ibrahimovic was denied a hat-trick when his last-minute header clattered the post, struck Lorenzo Venuti, and crossed the line.
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.
