Milan 2-0 Venezia
Ruben Amorim has a 100% record from two matches in charge of AC Milan in Serie A, after Gonçalo Ramos scored his first goal for the club in victory over Venezia at San Siro.
The match saw another goalless first half, during which Ramos spurned a great opportunity to break his duck, but as was the case in last week’s victory over Torino – it was Amorim’s substitutions which prompted an upturn in fortunes after the break.
Amorim introduced midfielders Alexis Saelemaekers and Adrien Rabiot in place of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and last week’s goalscorer Alphadjo Cissè just before the hour, with the changes reaping rewards ten minutes later. Saelemaekers duly set up Ramos for the opener, taken brilliantly with his left foot, following a move which started when the former Benfica man instigated a counter-attack with a smart header.
Milan clinched the points when another substitute, Ardon Jashari, burst through the middle and drew a save which rebounded off Venezia defender Redouane Halhal for an own goal. Speaking after the match, Amorim was full of praise for Ramos, who cost a club-record €74m from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
“Of course he’s a striker, we paid a lot of money because he scores goals, but the way he plays, works, connects the game, that means a lot, “Amorim said. “Sometimes it looks like we have two guys breaking the line, but it’s just Gonçalo Ramos.
“The way he didn’t score big opportunities, he was composed for the third one and free to score a goal. That shows he is an experienced player, he’s not thinking about the missed chances, he’s thinking about the next one.
“The substitutions? I felt in that position we had space and needed creativity in that movement. My first thinking was to move Loftus-Cheek over to the other side, also because set plays can change the game, but then I felt we needed another change and different creativity near the goal.
“You watch the game, try to put the right players on the pitch, and I made two changes.
“It’s easy to understand the game. I already said it would be a very tough match for us, because of the way they play the game. We know the first game at San Siro, everyone is expecting is to go and get a goal fast, then we leave strong strikers one against one.
“I just want to say also that it is not easy to play in this amazing stadium, we know the fans have lots of memories of great teams, the pressure is big, but we are working really hard. Sometimes the win is not so beautiful, but it is important for our path.”
Ramos feeling at home already
For his part, Ramos admits that he should have scored earlier than he did on the evening but says he is enjoying a smooth transition to life with Milan, who head into the weekend top of the standings after back-to-back victories.
“It’s amazing feeling, but at the end the important thing is to win, and I am happy to win again,” Ramos told reporters.
“I should score more than one goal today, but we won and that’s the most important thing.
“It’s clear on the pitch our DNA, our new mentality, we want to play football and win every game, but at the same time we want to enjoy our football. We are here to win, but also to have fun. It is very easy to be here, everyone helps me every day, I feel at home already and that’s an amazing feeling.”
One player who will not be calling Milan home for much longer is Portugal forward Rafael Leão, who is expected to join Turkish champions Galatasaray in the coming days for €43-45m, having been deemed surplus to requirements by Amorim.
