Massimiliano Allegri wasn’t in the mood for easy questions after AC Milan’s 2-1 win over Fiorentina sent them top of Serie A for the first time in more than a year. The Italian tactician delivered a fiery response to Christian Vieri, who questioned his decision to start Rafael Leao instead of Santi Gimenez and challenged his management of the game’s penalty situation.
When Vieri asked why Gimenez didn’t start alongside Leao, Allegri shot back with a cheeky but pointed response:
“If I had you on the bench, maybe I would have started with Gimenez.”
Allegri explained his reasoning, emphasizing the importance of having attacking options ready to change the game.
“Games last 95 minutes. If I didn’t even have a striker on the bench… I had to read the game. I was lucky, and it went well for me.”
The Milan boss added that he wanted to keep the team balanced early on and only introduced Gimenez after seeing the right tactical moment—following a Fiorentina corner and a yellow card for Zachary Athekame.
Leao’s late penalty in the 86th minute sealed the victory for Milan, but questions arose about who was meant to take it. Allegri, however, dismissed the talk of uncertainty:
“There was no confusion. I told Rafa to take the penalty: he had tried them and he had taken them well.”
When asked if he watched the spot-kick, Allegri jokingly replied:
“Didn’t I watch him? I never watch them.”
It was Leao’s first Serie A goal at the San Siro in 512 days, and the Portuguese star was central to Milan’s comeback, equalizing earlier with a stunning curling strike after Robin Gosens put Fiorentina ahead.
Despite conceding first, Allegri praised his players’ mentality and response:
“The team played a good game. Until the goal, we hadn’t allowed a single shot on target. After conceding, there was a good reaction—it wasn’t easy, and we’re happy about that.”
The stats back him up: Fiorentina registered only one shot on target all game, underlining Milan’s defensive control and tactical discipline even without injured stars Adrien Rabiot and Christian Pulisic.
With this victory, AC Milan climb to the top of Serie A—one point clear of rivals Inter Milan. Allegri’s fiery exchange with Vieri may dominate headlines, but his tactical nous and trust in Leao proved decisive.
It was a night that summed up Allegri’s Milan—gritty, clever, and capable of striking back when it matters most.
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