The Rossoneri’s beat Cagliari 1-0 courtesy of Ismael Bennacer’s second-half strike and consolidate top spot with 66 points from 30 games.
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AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli feels four teams can still win the Scudetto title. The Rossoneri’s beat Cagliari 1-0 courtesy of Ismael Bennacer’s second-half strike. The victory helped Stefano Pioli’s side to consolidate the top spot in the points table. They are now on 66 points from 30 games, three points above second-placed Napoli, who beat Udinese 2-1 earlier in the day and six above third-placed Inter, who have a game in hand.
Unbeaten runs, away form and goals from outside the box: read today’s stats ? https://t.co/041TbsZyrx ?
A Cagliari il terzo 1-0 consecutivo in una serata da record: leggi i numeri di #CagliariMilan ? https://t.co/BdkhlzaxoO ?#SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/mw9ReK5M6r
— AC Milan (@acmilan) March 20, 2022
“Every game is an important crossroads now. I liked the team, even when we didn’t score in the first half, as we played with quality and intensity,” Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.
“Cagliari caused us problems, but that’s inevitable when you have two teams with such strong motivation.”
Milan scored the winner on 59 minutes. Giroud laid the ball to Bennacer on the edge of the box and the Algerian midfielder’s first-time volley went past Cragno into the bottom corner of the net. It was Milan’s third consecutive 1-0 league
It was a historic goal, as the only other time Milan scored in 15 consecutive away games during one Serie A season was in 1967-68, when they went on to take the Scudetto.
“We would like to score more and went close again several times today, but the important thing is to win.
“We’re doing great things, but we also know there are four sides that could still win the Scudetto. There’s no point looking too far ahead, there’s a long way to go and we need to concentrate only on our own path.”
Pioli was asked about Theo Hernandez and Davide Calabria being full-backs who tend to cut inside and take part in scoring opportunities. Hernandez is one of the best full-backs in the league and his ability to often play as a left-sided midfielder makes Milan more lethal while going forward.
“I am fortunate to have two players who are very intelligent and can read the spaces. Cagliari were very aggressive on the wings today, so we had more space on the inside and they chased the spaces. It all becomes easier when you have smart players who can read the game so well.
“What we were lacking in previous games was we would score and then try to control that lead, which really isn’t in our nature. I was glad today that we took the lead and kept trying to score more, that is the attitude we need.
“We analysed recent matches and realised that was compromising our results. If we attack well, we defend even better. We are simply not suited to defending deep.”
