TIME MACHINE: LEÃO IN SASSUOLO v AC MILAN

On 2 December 2001, Rafael Leão was nearly two and a half years old, undoubtedly too young to witness one of the moments that have marked the history of Italian football. The goal scored by Piacenza striker Paolo Poggi after just 8 seconds from the start of the match against Fiorentina. It was the fastest goal ever scored in Serie A until a true lightning bolt struck, 19 years later, at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia during Sassuolo v AC Milan. A Rossonero flash, from the young man from Almada who now wears AC Milan's number 10 shirt, lasting just 6.76 seconds.

On 20 December 2020, Matchday 13 was played. AC Milan arrived as the solitary league leader: +1 on Inter, +4 on the Napoli and Roma duo. Pioli's team, however, they were coming off two 2-2 draws against Parma and Genoa, as well as numerous midweek matches in the Europa League. The moment was decidedly positive, the unbeaten streak in the league had lasted since the previous season. However, there was a great desire to achieve an important success. And the first response comes in a timeframe more commonly associated with the 60 meters in athletics than with football. Let's describe that goal: kick-off between Díaz and Çalhanoğlu, with the latter advancing centrally while reading, to his left, the powerful and imposing run of Leão. An acceleration rewarded with a right-wing through ball, and when Rafa receives it, he is already at the edge of the box. The Sassuolo defence is caught off guard, Leão continues his run with two touches before shooting at the penalty spot, towards the near post defended by Consigli.

A fast-forward, to advance the scene in a video, typically lasts 10 seconds. Doing so while watching the images of this Sassuolo v AC Milan match would almost make you miss Leão's goal, perhaps arriving just in time for the replay. An immediate advantage that sets the game in the best direction for the Rossoneri, on the field with a determined attitude. The second goal arrives in the 26', also developed on the left side: a progression by Hernández, a lay-off into the centre of the box for Saelemaekers who scores with his left foot. The hosts will halve the deficit late on, with a free-kick from Berardi, but it will be too late: AC Milan thus finds victory again, in an afternoon that will forever remain indelible in Rossoneri history.

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