Sampdoria vs AC Milan. Italian Serie A.
Luigi FerrarisAttendance19,708.
Friday 16 September 2016 22:14, UK
Carlos Bacca responded to being relegated to the bench by firing AC Milan to a 1-0 Serie A victory over Sampdoria on Friday.
Head coach Vincenzo Montella dropped Bacca in favour of summer signing Gianluca Lapadula, but it was the Colombian substitute who made the difference at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris with a superb 85th-minute winner.
The win was not without controversy, however, as Sampdoria had goals disallowed for offside and handball, the first of which should have stood.
An entertaining first half that saw chances fall at both ends finished deadlocked, but it was the hosts who would have been the more disappointed at having failed to score.
They were the more creative team, but the best opportunity of the half fell to Lapadula only for his snatched effort to sail over the crossbar.
Jacopo Sala limped off shortly after but Sampdoria continued to press and Edgar Barreto forced a smart save by keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The home side thought they had taken the lead when a corner carried to the edge of the area where it was directed goalwards and slipped into the net, but the flag went up, even though Barreto looked onside.
M'Baye Niang weaved an athletic path into the area before picking out Bacca, but the substitute's shot after a dazzling piece of footwork was well saved by Emiliano Viviano.
The arrival of Bacca at the expense of Lapadula in the 65th minute gave Milan greater purpose and as the final whistle approached they became increasingly dangerous.
Luis Muriel struck the left post and the end-to-end finish to the game continued when Giacomo Bonaventura saw a strong penalty claim rejected after he was bundled over by Pedro Pereira.
Muriel had a goal disallowed for handball during the build-up and was also booked for the offence, although it appeared to be accidental.
The deadlock was finally broken, Bacca expertly guiding the ball home after a clever pass from Suso.
