Milan Futuro defeat Everton U21 in first match of PL International Cup

Milan Futuro faced Everton’s U21 team on Wednesday, kicking off their campaign in the U21 Premier League International Cup.

AC Milan’s youngsters managed to gain some very valuable experience by facing an international opponent and playing in the well-known & historically significant stadium, Goodison Park. Milan Futuro ended up victorious, with the final score ending up 1-2. On Milan Futuro’s side the goals we’re scored by Federico Colombo, who collected the rebound from an Aurelien Guernier shot, and Lorenzo Ossola, who was assisted by Alex Castiello from a counter-attack. The goal on Everton U21’s side was scored by Braiden Graham from a free-kick.

The lineups

Milan Futuro (4-2-3-1): Pittarella; Colombo, Piermarini, Pagliei, Borsani; Pandolfi, Plazzotta; Mancioppi, Ossola, Guernier; Balentien

Everton U21 (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Finney, Gardner, Thomas, Carrington; Foster, Brookes; Moses, Patterson, Graham; Loney

Fabio Pandolfi

Pandolfi was the standout player of the match, a constant presence in midfield, especially in possession. He made himself available frequently, playing a multitude of quick one-touch passes to break the press and precise long balls to switch the play. In addition, he also tested the goalkeeper from distance several times with powerful long shots.

He did very solid work defensively, mainly by intercepting Everton U21’s passes. His most significant defensive contribution came as he intercepted a ground pass from an Everton free kick, stealing the ball away and turning the opportunity into a counter attack, from where Castiello assisted Ossola for the winning goal of the match.

Lorenzo Ossola

Ossola was all over the pitch, providing support in all phases of play. He started as the central attacking midfielder of the team, but was allowed to roam from his position, which allowed for him to be very involved. In the final third, Ossola made himself known many times; however, two stood out in particular. The first was when he created separation from two defenders in front of him on the inside edge of the box, and took the opportunity with a curling shot that hit the post after a narrow save from Everton U21’s goalkeeper. The second was, of course, the goal he scored to win the match, where he cut inside to fake out Everton’s defenders and slot the ball in.

Filippo Plazzotta & Tommaso Mancioppi

Aurelien Guernier & Cheveyo Balentien

Both players had many bright flashes of creativity and impact, dribbling through multiple players to create chances or open up space for teammates. They didn’t manage to get on the scoreboard but had good games regardless.

The defensive unit

All the Milan Futuro defenders and goalkeeper Matteo Pittarella worked very well together to make sure that Everton U21 didn’t have too many high quality chances to score. Each of the defenders had their influential moments where they shined and stopped incoming Everton U21 attacks, with Pagliei and Peirmarini getting many crucial blocks and interceptions.

They did fall short once which led to Everton U21 having a good opportunity that resulted in them hitting the post. Other than that, the most threat from Everton U21 was generated from forcing fouls in dangerous areas, which Milan Futuro ended up defending aside from the one free kick scored by Graham.

In possession, the defense built up and passed the ball around well, including Pittarella providing himself as a passing option regularly. The fullbacks, Borsani and Colombo, were also occasionally heavily involved in attacks, pushing up the pitch to either provide width or goal threat.

The substitutes

Alex Castiello, Nirash Perera, Luca Menon, Mattia Cappelletti, and Yahya Idrissi came on from the bench throughout the match, and worked well to keep up the intensity of the match in order to not fall behind.

Luca Menon particularly stood out, showing good ball-control, a nice sense of balance, and clean technique. Menon played mostly for Milan U17 last season, scoring 12 goals and providing 5 assists in 22 appearances, and was promoted to Milan Futuro around the end of the season, playing 175 minutes in 4 appearances in which he managed to score 1 goal against AVC Vogherese.

The coach’s words

Sergio Navarro spoke after the match, largely praising the players:

“We played in an incredible stadium, and the guys did a great job of executing what was asked of them. I’m really happy, the final result validates the hard work they put in on the field. The guys are starting to understand the messages we’re conveying to them; they’ve realized that on the field, everyone needs their teammates. We took a big step forward against a top-tier team. The credit goes entirely to them.”