San Siro sanity restored

If you were expecting AC Milan to continue their recent trend of folding like a wet paper towel under the slightest pressure, you’ll have to look elsewhere for your weekly dose of Rossoneri-flavored misery. Saturday night at the San Siro was actually, dare I say it, FUN. A 3-2 thriller against a Torino side that spent ninety minutes oscillating between "surprisingly competent" and "utterly lost" has finally propelled Milan back to the heights they claim to belong in.

The first half was a classic teaser. We went into the break at 1-1, with both teams looking like they’d spent the pre-match warm-up discussing their favorite pasta shapes rather than defensive organization. Torino actually thought they had a chance, which is always the cutest part of any visit they make to Milan. They played with a level of ambition that usually disappears the moment they see the Duomo, but it wasn’t enough to stop the inevitable.

Whatever Paulo Fonseca whispered into his players' ears at halftime clearly worked, or perhaps he just threatened to make them watch re-runs of their loss to Lazio until their eyes bled. Milan emerged with a point to prove and finally looked like a team that understands the concept of attacking. It was CLINIQUE at times, though the defense still has the structural integrity of a cheap panino when faced with a simple cross.

This result is a massive statement for the standings. By snatching all three points, Milan has leapfrogged Napoli to reclaim 2ND PLACE. They are now officially the best of the rest, trailing an Inter side that is currently so far ahead they’ve probably already started engraving the trophy. It’s a hollow kind of glory, like being the smartest person in a room full of influencers, but it’s better than the alternative.

For Torino, it’s back to the drawing board and the familiar comfort of 15th place. They came, they saw, they conceded three, and they left with nothing but a moral victory that they can’t trade for points. It was a SPECTACULAR collapse for a team that had the audacity to dream of a draw.

Milan lives to fight another day, the fans can stop booing for at least forty-eight hours, and the title race remains technically, theoretically, mathematically alive. Just don’t bet your house on it.