AC Milan stumble again, fall to Parma in Serie A
AC Milan suffered a 2-1 defeat at Parma on Saturday, as the seven-time European champions continued their slow start in Serie A under new coach Paulo Fonseca.Matteo Cancellieri scored the winning goal 13 minutes before the end of an entertaining match at the Stadio Ennio Tardini, as Parma defied their newly promoted status.
The 22-year-old winger scored his first goal for Parma after being loaned out by Lazio, who lost 2-1 at Udinese.
Milan has one point from their first two league matches under Portuguese coach Fonseca, whose team appeared to be on its way to victory when Christian Pulisic levelled Dennis Man's early close-range finish in the 66th minute.
Parma, on the other hand, were dangerous every time they went on the counter-attack, and they could have been out of sight by half-time if their finishing had been more consistent.
"I can't hide that it's my responsibility, but it seems clear to me that we have a problem with defending and being aggressive," Fonseca told DAZN on Wednesday.
"We struggled against Torino (2-2 draw) because we did not press hard enough. We tried pressing higher today, but we still had problems.
"We had a good pre-season, but the truth is that this is where we are."
Milan didn't wake up until after the half-hour mark, when they tested Zion Suzuki three times in a matter of minutes, but the hosts remained the more dangerous.
- Milan punished - Simon Sohm missed a great chance to double Parma's lead four minutes before the break, following excellent work from Man, who burst down the right and laid off for his Swiss teammate.
And Valentin Mihaila somehow failed to score when Ange-Yoan Bonny put him through on goal, dawdling on the ball and allowing Fikayo Tomori to close a gap left by Milan's defence.
Milan were a different team after the break, and they could have equalised twice in the first three minutes of the second half, with Tijjani Reijnders' deflected drive hitting the crossbar and Suzuki saving Pulisic's low effort.
Man collapsed to the ground in frustration in the 62nd minute after yet another Parma counter-attack resulted in his delicate curling strike going just wide, and Pulisic levelled Milan moments later.
Rafael Leao jinked and skipped down the left before exchanging passes with Theo Hernandez and bringing in American star Pulisic for a simple finish.
Milan pushed, but it was another lightning-fast Parma break that led to Cancellieri scoring the winner and soaking up the adoration of the jubilant home crowd.
Later, champions Inter Milan face Lecce without injured captain and star striker Lautaro Martinez in the San Siro, while Monza hosts Genoa.
Mehdi Taremi will make his first start for Simone Inzaghi's team since signing as a free agent last month following his release from Porto.
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