TIME MACHINE: AC MILAN v VENEZIA

Just like Parma a few weeks ago, here we are ready to face another newly-promoted side, Venezia. This time, we play at San Siro. The Venetians are back in the top flight after two years out, having won promotion in the play-off finals against Cremonese. The last time we played each other in Milan was on 22 September 2021 on matchday 5 of Serie A 2021/22, our Scudetto-winning season. It ended 2-0 with goals from Brahim and Theo. As we inch closer to the next league clash, let’s relive a different meeting from 1999/00 when the Rossoneri won 3-0 at San Siro.

Matchday 9 of Serie A on the 7 November 1999 and AC Milan, reigning Champions of Italy, had dropped points against Lazio and Juventus. Alberto Zaccheroni presided over the Rossoneri dugout, fielding his usual 3-4-3 with several big absences, Maldini most of all. On the left, a surprise appearance for Orlandini ahead of the three-man Leonardo-Bierhoff-Shevchenko line, and Weah ready to come on. Something that would in fact happen earlier than expected, as an injury forced Leonardo to exit the pitch after just 21 minutes: it was King George to take his place. The game was intense from the start but no goals came in the first 45, the Rossoneri took the lead after 55 minutes thanks to a ball launched by the Liberian which Bierhoff made the most of, firing home from inches away. 

The game carried on, and it was Weah who doubled the lead on the counter in the 67th minute, helped out by Shevchenko, and who would have the chance to make it three from the spot a few minutes later. Casazza committed the foul and was sent off, Weah stepped up to the spot but Bilica - the Venezia forward in goal à la Giroud - kept him out. With the ball still alive, the fastest of all in the fray was Orlandini who, on his second appearance for AC Milan in Serie A, managed to score his first goal. The irony is that a few months later, Orlandini would move to Venezia. But it was the goal from Pierluigi that ended the game, 3-0.

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