Díaz decides to drown the merry Sampdoria

Díaz decides to drown the merry Sampdoria

Brahim Diaz punished sloppy Sampdoria who shot the winner after capitalizing on a defensive error to secure Milan’s 1-0 win from Day One at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium.

Milan broke the record for most away games this season (16) last season and took a big step towards their first away win of the season in the first 5 minutes. A mistake in Tomaso Augelo’s defense allowed Davide Calabria to run into goal in time, lifted his head and found Diaz unscathed, crouched with his side foot in the bottom corner. Sampdoria arrived inches from where he provided an instant response through Mikel Damsgaard, but the Dane failed to end Antonio Kandreva’s vexing cross.

In a charming early quarter, Manolo Gabiadini’s free-kick hit the bar from 30 yards and Mike Minyan did enough to clear it through the window. The pendulum swung in Milan as Theo Hernandez’s sweet shot was too hot to beat Emil Audero, who could only parry Rade Krunic – who was at the mercy of not finding the target. Gabiadini was a thorn in Milan’s side as he escaped the Rossoneri defense again, but Maignan had Sampdoria’s top scorer as he beat Italy from close range.

While the first half was busy, the second was almost certainly more methodical, with Stefano Pioli doing the “Italian job” for his team-mates in the dugout. Maya Yoshida risked Sampdoria’s chance to save a point, with her modest title only training for Maignan. Despite the abundance and inspiration, Roberto D’Aversa’s men could not find a way to break Milan’s vital backbone.