Going down to 10 men might have been what A.C. MIlan needed to wake up and finally get past Catania. After a dreadful first half by both clubs that saw neither able to create anything in the final third and threaten the goal aside from wayward shots from 25 yards, Milan was forced to play down a man just 10 minutes into the second half. From there on, MIlan dominated the home side to pick up a 2-0 victory that could have been even bigger, but will do just fine to put them seven points atop the league.
Catania Vs. A.C. Milan: Zlatan Ibrahimovic Scores To Finish Off 2-0 Win For 10-Man Milan
Mark van Bommel made his Milan debut by picking up a yellow card in the first half and then another in the second half to cut his club debut short. While his reputation as a rough tackler will hardly earn him any sympathy, even the most ardent of Catania fans would argue that the Dutchman deserved to be sent off. With Catania pushing forward early in the second half, van Bommel came across Ciro Capuano and Capuano hit the turf in a heap. The referee came over, showed van Bommel a yellow card, his second of the match, and then the red card to end van Bommel’s day. However, replays showed that there was minimal contact between van Bommel and Capuano, if any at all and that even a foul would have been harsh, let alone a sending off.
Down to 10 men, Milan pushed forward and were rewarded with 30 minutes remaining in the match. After being fouled 25 yards from goal, Zlatan Ibrahimovic took the free kick and drove it hard and low, where Mariano Andujar was able to get to it and parry it away. Unfortunately for Catania, Andujar wasn't able to parry it far and Robinho was quickest to the ball to smash home the go-ahead goal.
The final 30 minutes were all Milan, but it wasn’t until late that they got their second goal. Ibrahimovic was at the center of most of Milan’s forays towards goal, forcing Andujar into a fine save once and playing Urby Emanuelson through in on goal another time, but the Dutchman hit it right at the keeper.
Finally, Ibrahimovic got what he deserved when he tallied in the 85th minute. Where Ibrahimovic did the work on the free kick to get Robinho his goal earlier, Robinho did the work to get Ibrahimovic his goal. The Brazilian sped through and played a low cross that found a sliding Ibrahimovic for a 2-0 Milan lead, a scoreline that would stand up.
While Milan is sitting pretty atop Serie A, Catania is in a bit of a struggle. Just three points above the drop zone and having played one more match than those chasing them, Catania will have to figure out a way to manage some points in home matches going forward, especially when they play nearly an entire half up a man.
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