Verona 0-1 AC Milan: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Piątek Penalty Earns Rossoneri Fortuitous Win

AC Milan wrapped up their second consecutive victory in Serie A, as Krzysztof Piątek's penalty earned a narrow, and perhaps undeserved, 1-0 win over Verona.

The Rossoneri were flat throughout the encounter, despite seeing the hosts reduced to ten men after 21 minutes - Mariusz Stępiński the man to be dismissed for the home side.

Chances were sporadic throughout the game, but the deadlock was finally broken in the 68th minute when Piątek converted a penalty, conceded when Koray Gunter handled the ball, to give Marco Giampaolo's side all three points.

Piatek also had an effort ruled out by VAR with just under ten minutes to go, but the result was never really in doubt after Milan's goal - despite Davide Calabria also seeing red in second half stoppage time.

Here's 90min's review of the game.

Hellas Verona

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Key Talking Point​

Considering they went down to ten men early on, it was an incredibly spirited performance from the Gialloblu. Their defence successfully marshalled the ​Milan attack for the majority of the match, and you would've believed that Verona would have come away with a draw and a clean sheet if not for conceding a penalty in the 68th minute. 

Marked down as favourites to go down prior to the start of the season, Ivan Jurić will be pleased both with how his side has played and the fact that they have four points from a possible nine, decent form for a newly-promoted side. 

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Silvestri (6); Rrahmani (6), Günter (6), Kumbulla (7); Faraoni (7), Amrabat (6), Veloso (7), Lazović (7); Zaccagni (6), Verre (7); Stępiński (3)

Substitutes: Pessina (6), Di Carmine (N/A), Tutino (N/A)

STAR MAN: Valerio Verre arrived on loan to Verona from Sampdoria following a successful spell with Perugia in Serie B and has proven that he is capable of making the step-up. Verre worked tirelessly for the Gialloblu, crucial when his side had ten men. He came agonisingly close to putting Verona in the lead at one point too, with his shot hitting the post.  

Milan

​Key Talking Point

If Milan's opening three games are any indication, Milan desperately need to find their ability to create chances in addition to improving their finishing ability. 

It was yet another uninspiring performance for Milan under new boss Marco Giampaolo, and it's becoming quite clear that the Rossoneri squad has a lot of deadwood. 

Giampaolo needs time, though, to mould his squad into understanding his style of play. He'll hope to get the best out of Milan's existing squad, but knows that more inspiring performances will need to be put in if they are to have any chance of maintaining a challenge for the top four.

Ante Rebic needs time to settle, and perhaps need to be given an opportunity from the start to show what he can really do.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Donnarumma (6), Calabria (5), Musacchio (6), Romagnoli (7), Rodríguez (6); Kessié (7), Biglia (5), Çalhanoğlu (6); Paquetá (5), Suso (6); Piątek (6)

Substitutes: Rebić (6)

STAR MAN: Franck Kessié has once again proved why he is instrumental to his Milan side. He created some chances, as well as controlling the midfield, although he was hardly exceptional. That says more about I Rossoneri than it does him. 

Looking Ahead

Verona can take a lot of pride from their performance despite the defeat. They face a tough trip to Turin to face Juventus next week, although their fixtures after that are against Udinese, Cagliari and Sampdoria respectively. They'll be more confident of getting a result against these sides, considering how they've played so far. 

Though it wasn't entirely convincing, especially since Verona played with ten men for most of the match, Milan will be relieved to have picked up another three points. 

They have their first real test of the season next week, with a derby match against an in-form Inter. Giampaolo will be conscious that his side will need to put in a significantly better performance if they are to beat their fierce rivals.