Serie A: Modric’s late chip lifts Milan past Pisa 2-1 after missed penalty
Luka Modric produced a decisive late finish to steer Milan to a hard-earned 2-1 win at Pisa, a result that trims the gap to the Serie A leaders to five points for now and snaps a frustrating run against newly promoted sides. The visitors missed a second-half penalty and needed a moment of class to escape with the points after Pisa had fought back to level.
Selection calls and early control
Milan restored Tomori to the back line and set up with Loftus-Cheek supporting Nkunku in attack. With Saelemaekers sidelined, Athekame started wide, while De Winter was held in reserve. Pisa’s injury list forced a change in goal: with Scuffet unavailable, veteran Nicolas stepped in for his first league outing of the season. Up front, Stojilkovic led the line, backed by Moreo and Tramoni.
The home side began in a compact, risk-averse posture, content to concede territory while contesting second balls. Milan controlled possession but moved it too slowly to trouble Nicolas, who went over a half-hour without a serious save. Pisa’s first clear look arrived on 32 minutes, when Moreo slipped Stojilkovic in behind, prompting a brave block from Maignan to keep the angle tight and the score level.
Loftus-Cheek breaks through
That scare jolted the match to life. Seven minutes later, Milan struck from their first effort on target. Athekame delivered a precise cross and Loftus-Cheek, escaping Aebischer’s attention, thumped a downward header past Nicolas for 1-0 on 39 minutes. It was a clean, ruthless action that rewarded Milan’s territorial edge and punished a rare lapse in Pisa’s shape.
Missed penalty flips the mood
At halftime, Milan introduced Füllkrug for Nkunku and nearly doubled the lead moments after the restart, only for a handball in the build-up to nullify Rabiot’s finish. The pivotal moment arrived at 54 minutes when Pavlovic drew a clear foul from Loyola in the area. Füllkrug stepped up but dragged his spot-kick onto the outside of the post. That miss breathed belief into Pisa and shifted the tempo of the contest.
The hosts freshened their flanks and injected energy with Akinsanmiro and Iling-Junior, the latter making his club debut. The changes pushed Milan back for the first sustained spell, with set-piece pressure and second-phase balls testing the visitors’ resolve.
Loyola levels, Modric answers with class
Pisa’s persistence paid off on 71 minutes. A scramble in the box broke kindly for Loyola, who pounced and lashed beyond Maignan for his first Serie A goal, bringing the Arena Garibaldi to its feet. Milan responded by turning to Ricci and Leao, and later Pulisic, reshaping into a 4-3-3 in search of control between the lines.
Füllkrug flashed a near-post effort just wide with nine minutes left, a sign of renewed pressure. Then came the match-winning touch of quality. Modric drove in from the inside-right channel, threaded a give-and-go with Ricci and, on the return, lifted a deft outside-of-the-boot chip over Nicolas. It was a veteran’s finish and exactly the kind of intervention that separates tight Serie A games in the final stretch.
Red card in stoppage time and what it means
Deep into added time, Rabiot collected a second booking, leaving Milan to navigate the final moments a man down. Pisa threw on Leris, Piccinini and Durosinmi to chase a second equalizer, pinning the visitors into a low block, but Milan’s back line held through a flurry of late deliveries.
The victory moves Milan within five points of the summit pending the evening’s showdown between the top two. It also marks a welcome break from a run of dropped points against newly promoted clubs, underlining the value of digging out wins away from home as the margins tighten in the spring phase of Serie A.
Next up
Milan turn quickly to a rescheduled midweek fixture against Como at San Siro on Wednesday evening ET, an opportunity to add pressure at the top and consolidate their position in the Champions League places. Pisa, encouraged by long stretches of their performance and the impact of recent additions, will look to build on this display when they return to league action, with the clean bill of health for Nicolas a positive on a night he was busy but largely blameless.
