Milan 4-1 Cagliari: Giroud double maintains Rossoneri’s winning start

The
Rossoneri
were
made
to
work
hard
for
last
week’s
1-0
win
over
Sampdoria
but
proved
far
too
strong
for
Genoa
as
they
put
on
a
show
for
their
returning
supporters,
scoring
all
four
goals
in
the
first
half.

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Alessandro
Deiola
netted
Genoa’s
first
goal
in
six
league
games
versus
Milan
to
cancel
out
Sandro
Tonali’s
opener,
but
Rafael
Leao’s
heavily
deflected
strike
and
Giroud’s
double
gave
the
hosts
breathing
space
at
the
midway
point.

Milan
were
happy
to
keep
hold
of
possession
from
that
point
on
as
they
cruised
to
a
seventh
league
game
without
defeat
stretching
into
last
season.

Tonali
lifted
the
ball
over
the
Genoa
wall
and
just
out
of
back-up
goalkeeper
Boris
Radunovic’s
reach
to
get
Milan
up
and
running
inside
12
minutes
with
just
his
second
Serie
A
goal.

Stefano
Pioli’s
side
were
pegged
back
soon
after
through
a
Deiola
header
after
the
midfielder
was
picked
out
by
a
smart
Joao
Pedro
pass
–
the
first
goal
Milan
had
conceded
in
seven
league
matches.

But
Leao
restored
his
side’s
advantage
in
rather
fortuitous
circumstances
as
his
shot
took
a
big
touch
off
the
back
of
Brahim
Diaz
–
Milan’s
match-winner
last
weekend
–
and
flew
past
Radunovic.

Giroud’s
first
Milan
goal
followed
seven
minutes
later,
the
Frenchman
curling
a
first-time
shot
into
the
far-left
corner
when
played
in
by
Diaz,
and
he
had
a
second
before
half-time
when
converting
a
penalty
awarded
for
a
Kevin
Strootman
handball.

Milan
then
went
through
the
motions
and
did
not
register
a
single
attempt
on
target
in
the
second
period,
with
Charalampos
Lykogiannis
going
closest
to
scoring
for
the
visitors
when
testing
Mike
Maignan
10
minutes
from
time.