Milan falls in opener as Juve wins
Print Edition
Luca Toni scored twice as Hellas Verona beat AC Milan 2-1 on Saturday to celebrate its return to Serie A after an 11-year absence as the Italian league opened with a shock.
It was more to form, meanwhile, as Juventus kicked off its bid for a third consecutive title with Carlos Tevez scoring in the 58th minute of a 1-0 win at Sampdoria, which beat the Bianconeri in both league meetings last season.
Juventus didn’t quite dominate like in its 4-0 rout of Lazio in last weekend’s Super Cup but Antonio Conte’s men showed the same poise and discipline of the past two seasons.
Tevez, Juventus’ big offseason acquisition from Manchester City, only had to tap in after taking a pass from Paul Pogba at the edge of the box on a rainy night in Turin.
It was a different story in Verona, where Andrea Poli put Milan ahead in the 14th following a pass from Mario Balotelli before the 1.96-meter Toni struck back with headers in the 30th and 53rd.
“There’s no better way to start the season,” Verona midfielder Massimo Donati said.
It was a bad result for Milan ahead of Wednesday’s return-leg match with PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League playoffs. Milan also gave up a lead in the opening leg, drawing 1-1.
Last season, Milan never lost in Serie A after establishing a lead, winning 21 matches.
“The explanation is simple: we played bad football and we played poorly as a squad,” Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said. “We needed to control the ball better. We played poorly and they deserved the victory.
There were concerns that Verona fans might direct racist chants at Balotelli but, with the issue discussed widely before the match, supporters responded by applauding him instead whenever he touched the ball — albeit likely in an ironic manner.
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