AC Milan's slow start to the season put Max Allegri on the hot seat and Wednesday might have sealed his fate. Milan went to Spain and were absolutely outclassed by Malaga, lucky to lose by just one goal as a second half strike by Joaquin led the home side to a 1-0 win in UEFA Champions League action.
Malaga vs. AC Milan, 2012 UEFA Champions League: Final score 1-0, Joaquin fires Malaga to win
Joaquin made up for his missed penalty in the first half with a second half goal that upended AC Milan.
Malaga were the agressors from the start as Milan’s 3-4-3 setup turned into more of a 5-4-1, content to absorb pressure. That pleased Isco, who found time to pull the strings for Malaga, who looked threatening from the start and should have been up in the first half, but Joaquin’s penalty kick rattled the crossbar and went over.
Milan only had one great chance at goal, which came thanks to a fine pass by Urby Emanuelson. He set Stphan El Shaarawy up on a platter, but the 19-year-old wasted the look at goal and the visitors never really looked particularly dangerous again.
Malaga’s dominance only increased as the match went on and finally paid off after the hour mark when Manuel Iturra hit a lovely chip over the MIlan defense for Joaquin, who timed his run perfectly. With his first touch, Joaquin slotted the ball home and Malaga had the goal that would push them past Milan.
With the win, Malaga remain perfect in the competition. They have nine points from three matches and are top of Group C. Meanwhile, MIlan are in second place, but four points back and in a battle with Zenit, who are on three points to get to the knockout stages. Whether they do that with Allegri at the helm remains to be seen, but it doesn’t look good for the Italian.
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