Mario Balotelli broke out of his seven-month scoring slump with a beautiful free-kick as AC Milan held on for a 3-2 win over Udinese in Serie A on Tuesday.
Starting for the first time since rejoining Milan on loan after a dismal season at Liverpool, Balotelli curled the ball into the top corner after five minutes. The temperamental striker let out a rare celebratory smile as he was mobbed by his teammates.
Asked about the rare smile, since he usually shows no emotion after scoring, Balotelli said: “I’m always the same. In the changing room and in life I’m a completely different person from the one described for years [by others].”
Photo: AP
“Little by little I’m knocking the weight off my shoulders, because over the last few years between Italy and England too much has been said of me, but I’ve remained silent,” Balotelli added. “I’m behaving well in the changing room and I have good relationships with my teammates.”
Having scored only one goal in the Premier League last season, Balotelli is looking to revive his career and regain his place in Italy’s squad for next year’s European Championship.
“He showed that the real Balotelli is back and that he knows how to deal with being provoked,” new Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic said. “He was perfect. We all know about his skills and today he was the best player on the pitch — both for his play and for his behavior.”
“He made the difference, but he’s got to continue like this because it’s just the start,” said Mihajlovic, a free-kick specialist himself as a player. “Compliments to [Milan vice president Adriano] Galliani, because he got a strong player at zero cost.”
Giacomo Bonaventura doubled the lead five minutes after Balotelli’s opener and Cristian Zapata added another for the visitors in first-half stoppage-time.
Emmanuel Badu and Duvan Zapata scored for Udinese early in the second half.
“We conceded two stupid goals, but we fought until the end, so compliments to my teammates,” Balotelli said.
A yellow card later in the first half appeared to slow him down.
“I’m still happy with my performance,” Balotelli said, adding that he is getting used to defenders attempting to provoke him. “Well either they get a yellow or my legs, but they don’t see the ball.”
Milan moved level third with ACF Fiorentina, three points behind leaders Inter, who beat the the Rossoneri 1-0 in the Milan derby nine days earlier.
Having lost four straight matches after stunning four-time defending champions Juventus 1-0 in their opener, Udinese remained near the bottom with just three points.
In Udine, Balotelli got his first start since a match in April against Hull City and his first league goal since February in Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Balotelli had already showed signs of a revival when he came off the bench and hit the post in the derby and he now appears to have solidified his place in Milan’s attack alongside either Carlos Bacca or Luiz Adriano — both also new signings.
Including his first spell with Milan, Balotelli has scored 18 of his 27 goals with the Rossoneri from dead-ball opportunities.
Milan captain Riccardo Montolivo set up the second goal with a long vertical pass, which Bonaventura controlled well with his chest then fired in with his next touch.
Cristian Zapata scored with a long, off-balance header following a corner, managing to find the target even with his momentum carrying him away from the goal.
As impressive as the first half was for Milan, the second period was a near disaster.
Badu’s goal came from the center of the area and Duvan Zapata redirected a cross in by the far post as Milan’s defense left open some gaping holes.
Udinese had late chances to equalize, but the pressure fizzled out after midfielder Bruno Fernandes picked up his second yellow in stoppage-time.
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
RSS