AC Milan continues in a negative streak after losing 2-1 against Napoli in a match where Santi Gimenez had the chance to bring his team closer to the scoreboard, but missed a key penalty. With this result, the "Rossoneri" are sinking in the table and see how their Serie A aspirations are further complicated.
Disastrous start for Milan
The match started in the worst possible way for Milan, who were already down in the second minute. Matteo Politano took advantage of a pass from Giovanni Di Lorenzo and, with a left-footed shot inside the box, beat Mike Maignan to make it 1-0 for Napoli. The "Rossoneri" defense was exposed from the start and the team never managed to recover from the blow.
Milan tried to react, but their attack was imprecise and lacked clear ideas. Tammy Abraham, a starter in this match, failed to generate danger and the team was forced to play long without finding answers. Meanwhile, Napoli knew how to manage the tempo of the match and found the second goal before 20 minutes.
Romelu Lukaku was in charge of extending the lead in the 19th minute. Billy Gilmour sent him a precise pass inside the box and, although his shot was not entirely clean, the Belgian managed to beat Maignan for the 2-0 lead. With a disorganized defense and a lack of spark in attack, Milan went into the break with many doubts and the need to change the course of the game.
Santi Gimenez Comes In And Has Chance To Change The Game
Aware of the lack of offensive weight, Sérgio Conceição made several changes at the start of the second half. Rafael Leao, Samu Chukwueze and Santi Giménez entered the field in the hope of turning the game around and regaining ground on the scoreboard.
Since his entrance, the Mexican striker was active, looking for spaces and pressing Napoli's exit. However, the home defense stood firm and prevented Milan from having clear chances to score in the first minutes of the second half.
The clearest chance for Milan came in the 68th minute, when Theo Hernández was brought down in the box by Philip Billing. The referee did not hesitate to signal the penalty and Santi Giménez took the responsibility to take it. However, his shot was predictable and Alex Meret, with a great save, managed to stop the shot, leaving the "Rossoneri" without the goal they needed to get into the fight.
Duel loaded with history in #SerieA! 🔥🇮🇹#Napoli won 2-0 on their visit to the San Siro. For their part, #ACMilan managed a 2-2 draw at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona last season.
Will they both score, play now! ➡ https://t.co/HCS0drbkft pic.twitter.com/uxmNAeXLRM
- Betcris (@Betcris) March 30, 2025
Milan Reacts Late And Remains in Free Fall
Despite the blow of the missed penalty, Milan did not give up and continued to insist in search of an equalizer. In the final minutes, a combination between Leao and Hernandez ended in a precise cross for Luka Jovic, who coolly finished to make the score 2-1.
The Serbian's goal gave Milan some hope, but there was not enough time to find an equalizer. Napoli knew how to handle the last minutes and prevented any further attempts of danger from the visitors, securing an important victory at home.
With this defeat, Milan continues in a results crisis that distances them from the top spots in Serie A. Santi Giménez, for his part, reached six games without scoring for the team since his arrival in January, increasing the pressure on his performance.
Now, Milan will have to recover quickly and find solutions if they want to stay in the fight for the top places. Lack of punch and defensive errors have been a constant in their last few games, and if they fail to correct these aspects, the season could end up being a failure for the team.
