Olivier Giroud: AC Milan’s match-winning goalkeeper

Kanye West is aware of what the Midwest is. Younger and stressed. However what about Marassi? Previous and misty, residence to the membership based by James Richardson Spenseley.

Though now not welcome on Venice’s Water Taxis after a compromising picture emerged final month of him and his spouse Bianca Censori apparently in flagrante, West was not denied entry to his first Serie A recreation. Swapping the canals for the carrugi, he was a shock attendee of Genoa-AC Milan on Saturday evening.

A recipient of a Genoa shirt to mark the event, if West caught round for the final 10 minutes, he could have witnessed an finish which may have made it onto My Stunning Darkish Twisted Fantasy, so unthinkable was the climax to this recreation.

His fellow People Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic mixed to provide Milan the lead in controversial circumstances within the 87th minute. Pulisic appeared to deal with the ball as he spun to get his shot away however the absence of clear and apparent proof stopped the VAR from overruling the choice taken by referee Marco Piccinini and allowed Captain America’s fourth objective in Milan’s colors to face.

Genoa’s coach, the previous Milan striker Alberto Gilardino, as soon as well-known for his ‘little violin’ celebration, selected to not string collectively a lament after the sport. “In any other case he’d get banned so it’s higher I get one as an alternative,” Genoa president Alberto Zangrillo mentioned, as he assumed the post-match media duties. Italy’s most well-known anaesthetist and private physician to the late Silvio Berlusconi, couldn’t boring the ache. Livid, he fell out with broadcaster DAZN’s former referee Luca Marelli — “everybody may see Pulisic touched it along with his forearm” — and complained that the sport’s gone. “We’re made to outlive in a world that’s an increasing number of unjust the place the identical outdated groups are nonetheless the boss.”

Zangrillo wasn’t executed. He gave his medical opinion of the foul by Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan on Caleb Ekuban within the 96th minute, which reopened the sport. “Assassina”. A “murderous” excessive knee that led to his sending-off. “Let’s see what number of video games they ban him for,” Zangrillo huffed.

On the very least, Maignan will miss the primary recreation again after the worldwide break in opposition to Juventus; as will his compatriot Theo Hernandez, who picked up his fifth reserving in eight video games.

A extra urgent dilemma for Milan coach Stefano Pioli was the actual fact he’d used all his substitutes when Maignan was dismissed.

Minutes earlier, he’d introduced on teenage defender Davide Bartesaghi, who signed his first skilled contract within the week, to waste a little bit of time. It meant Pioli couldn’t flip to backup goalkeeper Marco Sportiello, so an outfield participant must pull on Maignan’s gloves for the added time of stoppage time. “Pulisic wished to go in objective as a result of he’s in all probability executed it previously,” Pioli mentioned. “However we have been dealing with a free kick and I advised him he was too quick (5ft 8in/173cm).”

As Milan’s tallest attacking participant, it was left as much as 6ft 3in Olivier Giroud to fill Maignan’s XL inexperienced jersey. “I’ve by no means skilled something prefer it,” the French striker mentioned. “However I used to go in objective as a boy.”

Instantly, Giroud wanted just a little luck as taking goal from the sting of the penalty space was Albert Gudmundsson, arguably essentially the most in-form participant in Serie A and a revelation this season. The Iceland worldwide, whose grandfather of the identical identify performed for Milan within the late Nineteen Forties, thought he’d equalised as his shot kicked up off Fikayo Tomori and headed for the highest nook solely to careen off the crossbar.

Giroud breathed a sigh of reduction however not for lengthy. Impulsively bearing down on objective was George Puscas.

“I mentioned to myself: ‘Go’,” Giroud laughed. “I don’t have the instincts of a goalkeeper however proper then I felt like one.”

He rushed off his line and dived at Puscas’ ft, closing his eyes as he aimed a punch on the ball. When he opened them once more, the ball wasn’t behind his internet however squirming free. Giroud leapt on it and was then leapt upon by his jubilant team-mates.

Giroud steps in to disclaim George Puscas and Genoa (Getty Pictures/Getty Pictures)

Did it really feel like scoring a objective? “Nearly,” he mentioned, as he added a clear sheet to the 4 objectives and three assists he has contributed this season.

Whereas not fairly on a par with the time in 1999 when Venezia’s Brazilian centre-back Fabio Bilica stood in for Fabrizio Casazza and saved a penalty from Milan’s Ballon d’Or successful striker Andriy Shevchenko, it was nonetheless an epic second and continues this upside-down begin to the season in Italy, the place goalkeepers rating and strikers make saves.

Josep Martinez, the Genoa shot-stopper, fancied doing an Ivan Provedel, solely to obtain a harsh second yellow card for bringing down a counter-attacking Rafael Leao. “Now we’re going to lose him as nicely,” Zangrillo fumed.

Not since March 1992, and a 0-0 between Inter Milan and Torino, had each groups misplaced their goalkeepers to purple playing cards.

Turkish midfielder Berkan Kutlu grabbed Martinez’s shirt and went in objective for Genoa as an absurd recreation drew to a detailed.

“I’m actually pleased with this group,” mentioned Giroud, who was later added to the goalkeeper part of the squad record on Milan’s web site. “We fought till the top. We fought like lions.”

The win despatched Milan to the highest of Serie A and is the form of second that leads a group to consider this might be their yr. They’ve gained each league recreation other than the derby, that 5-1 defeat to Inter, who dropped factors for a second recreation in a row at San Siro, as Bologna, a bogey group on a par with Sassuolo for them, got here again from two down to attract 2-2.

Whereas Milan’s ecstatic chief govt Giorgio Furlani celebrated in the away end, Giroud tried to toss Maignan’s goalkeeper jersey over the plexiglass to the travelling followers. He didn’t clear it after which, as he scooped it again up, thought higher of attempting once more. That inexperienced shirt goes to be a collector’s merchandise.

“I’m going to border it,” Giroud mentioned.

One other factor price saving.

(High picture: Matteo Ciambelli/DeFodi Pictures through Getty Pictures)