CROSSBAR! WHAT A GAME! It was a poor free-kick from Frosinone, with the strike being directed straight into the wall. Milan countered at pace, with Balotelli leading the charge. He takes it past Russo with ease before thumping a rising strike at goal that clatters off the woodwork and away from danger!
90' +4
This really has been cruel on Frosinone, who have been penalised by a poor bit of officiating. However, they have the chance to make up for it now, as they are awarded a free-kick 30 yards from Milan’s goal after a foul on Ciofani by Romagnoli. Will there be one final twist in today’s tale?
90' +2
Penalty goal scored by J. Ménez for AC Milan!
GOOOOAAAAALLLLL!! MENEZ HAMMERS HOME FROM THE SPOT! Well, while it is heartbreaking for Frosinone, it is huge for Milan in their race for European football as Menez, only recently on as a substitute, steps up to convert the penalty in style with a composed finish into the bottom-left corner.
90'
V. Pryima gets yellow.
PENALTY TO MILAN! That is horrible for Frosinone! And extremely harsh to say the least. It is the substitute Pryyma who is the culprit, as a point-blank strike hits his arm. He could do nothing to avoid the ball, but nevertheless the official has deemed that it is worthy of a second spot-kick for the hosts.
89'
Milan are getting desperate now, punting raking, diagonal passes over the top in the hopes of picking out one of their four attackers. But it is all too crowded in the final third, and Frosinone's defence are staying steadfast as they look to see out what would be a vital victory in their bid for top-flight survival.
87'
Superb defending once more from Frosinone, as they desperately try to hold onto their slender advantage. Adriano looks set to drill in an effort after he received the ball right on the cusp of the penalty area, but both Russo and Ajeti drive out and smother the striker before he can get a shot away.
85'
OFFSIDE! That was almost a breakthrough for the visitors, as Ciofani did well to take the ball under his spell on the halfway line before threading a throughball into the path of Paginini, but the Frosinone winger had strayed well offside.
83'
Milan are lumping on the pressure now, as you would expect. Unbeknown to the players, Sassuolo have now taken the lead against Verona, meaning that, as it stands, the hosts must win this game if they are to retain sixth place.
80'
A. Rosi enters the game and replaces O. Kragl.
Stallone reacts to that third and final change by the hosts by making a substitution of his own, taking off Oliver Kragl - who put Frosinone 2-0 up with that stunning free-kick on the stroke of half-time. The German’s replacement is Aleandro Rosi.
79'
A final roll of the dice now from Brocchi, as he goes with four strikers for the final 10 minutes or so by introducing Jeremy Menez in place of Jose Mauri.
Minute
Description
78'
J. Ménez enters the game and replaces J. Mauri.
SAVE! It’s end-to-end play now at the San Siro, as Frosinone take their turn to launch a swift counter-attack, with Ciofani beating Milan’s offside trap to latch onto a diagonal pass. He has Gucher for support, but instead elects to try his luck with a swerving strike, but Donnarumma is well-positioned to make a comfortable stop.
77'
CHANCE! A real heart-in-the-mouth moment there for the visitors, as Balotelli picks up the scraps of a loose ball in the penalty area. He looks all set to drill home from close range, but just as he is about to pull the trigger on his strike, Russo gets across to make a brilliant tackle and nudge the Italy forward off-balance.
74'
L. Antonelli has scored a goal for AC Milan! Assist by Alex.
GOOOOOAAAAALLLL!! INCREDIBLE! That really is amazing as, with his first touch since coming on as a substitute just a moment ago, Antonelli controls Alex’s header on his chest before expertly twisting his body and drilling a powerful overhead strike past Bardi and into the back of the net and hand Milan a lifeline! What an effort by the defender! Milan 2-3 Frosinone!
It was finally a quality delivery by Balotelli from another free-kick out on the flank. Alex did brilliantly to leap above his marker and direct a header in the general vicinity of the goal, where Antonelli was waiting to finish superbly.
73'
R. Gucher enters the game and replaces F. Dionisi.
L. Antonelli enters the game and replaces I. Abate.
Another set of changes now, as both sides prepare to make substitutions. First, it is the hosts who switch their personnel, with Ignazio Abate making way for Luca Antonelli.
Frosinone’s change sees their third goalscorer Federico Dionisi replaced by Robert Gucher.
71'
LUCKY! Russo gets fortunate there, as he takes a wild swipe at a low but tame effort from Kucka. It deflects wickedly off the outside of the Frosinone defender’s boot, but luckily for the visitors Bardi manages to adjust his feet quickly enough to make the stop and prevent an embarrassing own goal.
69'
A concern now for the visitors, as two of their players - Ciofani and Paganini - have to receive treatment following a nasty collision on the edge of Milan’s area. The latter recovers swiftly enough, though Ciofani does have to receive some more extensive treatment before he hobbles back to his feet.
67'
V. Pryima enters the game and replaces R. Crivello.
A first substitution now for Frosinone, with Roberto Crivello making way. His replacement is Vasyl Pryyma.
66'
Milan desperately need a goal to get themselves back into this encounter, but at the moment they are looking rather devoid of ideas and are lacking any real shape or system when it comes to building up attacks. It is all rather aimless, truth be told...
64'
Luiz Adriano enters the game and replaces K. Honda.
A first change of the game now, and it is Brocchi who blinks first as he takes off Keisuke Honda - who has only shown flashes of his true ability this afternoon - and introduces Luiz Adriano in place of the Japan playmaker. It appears that the change will also bring about a switch in system, more than likely to a 4-3-3 formation.
62'
Again, it is an incredibly poor delivery by Balotelli, who merely floats in a hopeful cross that Bardi is able to come out and punch clear under little pressure.
61'
Despite that set back, Milan are continuing to mount some serious pressure on the visitors’ goal, but still Frosinone stand firm. Eventually, Paganini wins possession and looks to quickly counter, but he can only hand Milan another chance to get the ball in to the area after he fouls Mauri...
58'
DISALLOWED! That’s a great bit of officiating by the linesman, who spits that Balotelli was in an offside position as he latched onto a cross from the left to head down into the path of Honda, who had then tucked in what he thought was Milan’s second, only for the hosts’ celebrations to be abruptly brought to a halt.
55'
F. Dionisi gets yellow.
There will be a yellow card for Frosinone's latest goalscorer, however, after he took his shirt off in celebration. However, it does not seem likely that the striker will mind that too much given that he has just re-established the visitors' two-goal cushion!
54'
F. Dionisi has scored a goal for Frosinone!
GOOOOOAAAALLLLL!! DIONISI NETS A THIRD FOR FROSINONE! What a game this is turning out to be, as Alex - just moments after Bardi’s mistake at the other end - makes a calamitous error when attempting to hook the ball clear of danger. The rebound falls straight into the path of the onrushing Frosinone forward, who makes no mistake in driving into the area before dispatching a low, confident finish across Donnarumma and into the bottom-right corner.
53'
It really has been a thrilling encounter so far, with the momentum from the end of the first half being carried over into the second. Bardi has had an excellent debut, but one mistake has allowed the hosts to get themselves right back into this game!
50'
C. Bacca has scored a goal for AC Milan!
GOOOOAAAAALLLL!!! BACCA HAULS MILAN BACK INTO THE GAME! Well, after a stunning display so far, Bardi has made a terrible error there as he lets a low cross from Honda slip under his body and into the path of Bacca, who has the simple task of tapping home into an empty net. Milan 1-2 Frosinone. What a start to the second half!
48'
Penalty saved by F. Bardi!
SAVE! That’s a tame penalty by Balotelli, who stutters in his run up but can only direct his effort straight down the throat of Inter-loanee Bardi who, whipping guessed the right way, parries the strike away and, on the rebound, Ajeti gets across to make the block.
47'
A. Russo gets yellow.
PENALTY! That’s a great spot by the referee who, despite the bewilderment of both sets of players, awards the hosts with a spot-kick after Mauri’s goal-bound strike clattered into the arm of Russ, who also receives a yellow card.
46'
Welcome back! The second half is underway at the San Siro. There have been no changes for either side at the interval. If this result stays as it is, Sassuolo, who are currently drawing with Verona, will leapfrog above Milan into sixth place.
45' +1
Wasteful! That’s another poor delivery from Balotelli, who can only direct a rather aimless cross into Frosinone’s area, and the visitors duly clear it with ease.
45'
O. Kragl gets yellow.
J. Kucka gets yellow.
That’s silly from Kragl, who picks up an unnecessary yellow card after getting into a tussle with Kucka, who had been fouled on the right flank.
For his point in that flashpoint, Kucka also picks up a booking, as Balotelli and Honda stand over the set-piece...
44'
O. Kragl has scored a goal for Frosinone!
GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!! WHAT A STRIKE FROM KRAGL! That is a truly awesome effort from the German midfielder, who has doubled the visitors' advantage with a thunderous free-kick from around 35 yards out, which left Donnarumma with no chance of making the save as it nestled into the bottom-right corner.
42'
Great football from Milan, as they finally find a way to carve through Frosinone’s congested defence thanks to some smart combination play between Mauri and Honda, which results in the latter curling a shot towards the left-hand corner from the edge of the area. However, it is a nice height for Bardi to be abel to get across to it, and the shot-stopper duly parries the ball away from danger.
40'
A slight blemish now for Bardi on his Frosinone debut, as the 23-year-old picks up a booking for taking too long over the goal-kick which came as a result of Bacca's miss. That did seem an extremely harsh decision from the official, who has not been shy in using his cards so far today...
39'
F. Bardi gets yellow.
CHANCE! That’s a poor header from Bacca, who originally did very well to leap above the rest and connect with Balotelli’s whipped-in cross, but the former Sevilla striker can only direct his effort well over the target.
38'
Another opportunity now for Balotelli to test Bardi and the Frosinone defence, after Dionisi slides in clumsily on Honda around 10 yards infield from the right-hand touchline, and just over 30 yards out from goal...
37'
That’s brave defending by Crivello who, after initially straying too far infield from his left-back berth, gets back over to prevent Kucka driving into the penalty area with a well-timed sliding challenge, winning a free-kick for Frosinone in the process.
34'
How did that not go in!? Milan have found a lot of joy from corners so far in this match, and again they capitalise on slack Frosinone defending as Alex rises highest to meet Honda’s in-swinging delivery. The Brazilian directs his header towards the top-left corner, but Bardi is again well-placed to claw the ball up onto the crossbar and off the line with a strong right hand. The visitors’ goalkeeper is having quite the debut!
32'
TOP CLASS SAVE! Again, Frosinone have Bardi to thank for keeping their lead in tact. The chance came about from a corner at the other end which was wasted by the visitors, allowing Milan to counter at pace, with Bacca driving forward before slipping a pass out to Kucka, who in turn drilled a rasping strike to the near post, but the 23-year-old goalkeeper somehow managed to parry it into the side netting.
30'
UNLCUKY! Another patient but well-worked Milan move sees Mauri pick up some space down the left, and he duly whips in a pinpoint cross towards the back post, where Honda meets it. Although it is slightly behind him, the Japan midfielder manages to hook a strike goalwards with an ambitious overhead kick, but it sails a yard over the crossbar.
28'
CLOSE! That’s another smart save by Bardi, who is agains called into action to prevent Balotelli netting with a driven strike from 20 yards out. Milan are certainly testing the Frosinone shot-stopper, but so far he has been equal to their efforts.
26'
M. Balotelli gets yellow.
A booing now for the hosts, as Balotelli receives a yellow card following his reaction to a decision going against Milan. Brocchi’s men have certainly got the upper hand now, but Frosinone are somehow managing to keep them at bay so far...
25'
SUPERB SAVE! That’s a truly brilliant stop by Bardi, as Frosinone’s stand-in goalkeeper reacts instinctively to tip Balotelli’s goal-bound header over the crossbar after the Milan forward had connected with Honda’s precise delivery from a corner on the right.
24'
GREAT DEFENDING! That’s a superb block by Ciofani, who somehow managed to prevent Bacca thumping in from close-range with a last-ditch sliding challenge after the Colombia forward had latched onto Kucka’s knock-down.
23'
CLOSE! That really should have been an equaliser for Milan, as Honda did brilliantly to race clear of his marker and loop in a cross to the back post, where Balotelli was lurking, but the former Manchester City stroker failed to react quickly enough to latch onto the delivery for a simple tap-in.
22'
The game seems to have found its rhythm now, with Frosinone just starting to sit deeper and look to soak up the pressure that the hosts have been slowly building. The visitors are maintaining a good defensive shape, however, and thus restricting the space in advanced areas for the likes of Honda, Bacca and Balotelli.
19'
M. Gori gets yellow.
Another booking now for Frosinone, as Mirko Gori picks up a yellow card for deliberate handball.
18'
CHANCE! That’s great defending from Sammarco, who comes out bravely to prevent Bacca, who had picked up the ball in the penalty area following a Milan corner, hammering home with a powerful strike.
16'
It has been as good as could have been expected for Frosinone so far, who have restricted Milan to very little in terms of clear-cut chances while, after taking the lead, the have continued to threaten Donnarumma’s goal. Stallone said after last week’s defeat to fellow strugglers Palermo that his side would come out fighting, and the players are certainly living up to that promise as it stands...
14'
CHANCE! Ciofani should have done better there as, after he had been played in by a combination of Paganini and Dionusi, the Frosinone forward - who was unmarked at the back post - elected to try his luck with a volley from an acute angle. However, despite having the whole target to aim at, he can only skew his effort into the side netting.
12'
CLOSE! Again, it is Balotelli who steps up to take the free-kick, this time lofting in a curling cross towards the back post. For a moment it looks as if it will drop down to Alex, who was waiting on the edge of the six-yard box, but the delivery was slightly overhit and the ball sails out of play harmlessly for a Frosinone goal-kick.
10'
P. Sammarco gets yellow.
The first booking of the game now, as Honda is brought down unceremoniously by Sammarco, who is duly shown a yellow card by Davide Massa.
9'
Almost! That was nearly a costly mistake by Donnarumma. It is so easy to forget that Milan’s goalkeeper is still only 17, given his undoubted quality, but he showed his inexperience then as he advanced out to try and claim a floated cross from the resulting free-kick, but fails to make the catch. Fortunately for the hosts, De Sciglio is on hand to hook it away from danger.
7'
It has been a frantic start to proceedings so far, with Frosinone not just content to sit back and try and defend their lead for the next 80 minutes or so. Again, the visitors look to get forward and use the wings to exploit Milan’s narrow formation, and again it proves fruitful, as De Sciglio is forced into conceding a free-kick down on the right to prevent Paganini advancing any further.
5'
POOR! It’s Balotelli who steps up to take the set-piece, but the Liverpool loanee can only direct a tame effort straight into the Frosinone wall.
4'
Free-kick! A real opportunity now for Milan, as Mauri is scythed down right on the edge of Frosinone’s area. Can the hosts level proceedings immediately? Honda and Balotelli stand over it...
2'
L. Paganini has scored a goal for Frosinone! Assist by D. Ciofani.
It was a well-worked attack by Frosinone, and a neat bit of play by Ciofani to drift out wide and slip a reverse pass into Paganini, who wasted no time in slotting home his second goal of the season.
GOOOOAAAALLLL!! FROSINONE TAKE THE LEAD! What a start that is for the visitors, as they work a neat move down the left flank which eventually results in Daniel Ciofani sliding a pass infield to Paganini, who in turn lets the ball roll across his body before drilling a low strike through the legs of his marker and past Donnarumma.
1'
KICK OFF! We are up and running at the San Siro where, on the sound of the referee’s whistle, the visitors get proceedings underway.
TEAM NEWS - Milan substitutes: Lopez, Mexes, Menez, Adriano, Poli, Zapata, Simic, Antonelli, Abbiati, Boateng, Locatelli, Calabria.
TEAM NEWS - Milan (4-3-1-2): Donnarumma; Abate, Alex, Romagnoli, De Sciglio; Kucka, Montolivo, Mauri; Honda; Bacca, Balotelli.
The team news is in now from the San Siro. For Milan, Brocchi has stuck with the same 4-3-1-2 system that he employed in last weekend’s defeat, though he does make two alterations to his starting XI, as Alex and Mario Balotelli replace Cristian Zapata and Jeremy Menez respectively. As for the visitors, Stallone has made wholesale changes to the side that were beaten by Palermo, making six in total. Daniel Ciofani, Luca Paganini, Adriano Russo, Oliver Kragl and Mirko Gori are the players who retain their places.
After initially getting his tenure as interim head coach off to a winning start, Cristian Brocchi has failed to build on that victory over Sampdoria in his last two fixtures in charge of Milan - drawing 0-0 against struggling Carpi before losing 2-1 to the already relegated Hellas Verona last time out. It has been a hugely frustrating and typically turbulent season for the Rossoneri, who have yet again failed to live up to the high exceptions of both their fans and owner, former Italian primeminister Silvio Berlusconi. They are winless in their last three home matches, and have only managed to claim one triumph from their previous eight Serie A fixtures.
Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to our LIVE text commentary of today’s Serie A encounter between AC Milan and relegation-battling Frosinone. The hosts must win to keep their slim hopes of Europa League qualification via the league alive - though they will of course enter the competition should they beat Juventus in the final of the Coppa Italia. The visitors, meanwhile, sit in 19th, five points adrift of safety with just three games left to play. Stick with us for all the action as it happens from the San Siro!
Frosinone, on the other hand, have struggled to acclimatise to life in the top fight, having snatched just one win from their last seven Serie A games. They may well have been relegated this weekend had in-form Carpi bettered Juventus, but the champions have done Roberto Stallone’s side a favour by claiming a convincing 2-0 victory in Turin. However, with a five point gap to close to ensure their survival, a victory today seems vital in their bid to avoid a return to the second tier. Though, with the Gialloazzurri having lost 13 of their 17 away matches in 2015/16, that seems extremely unlikely, even after taking Milan’s struggles into account.
These sides have only ever met once before in Serie A, in the reverse fixture this campaign. That finished 4-2 to Milan, with the Rossoneri recording their highest amount of shots on target in a single game (10) in that encounter. However, Brocchi’s side have failed to net more than a single goal in any of their last 10 league matches.
The teams are out on the pitch now at the San Siro, where, as has been typical this disappointing campaign, it is far from a full house. Milan, who sit seven points behind fifth-placed Fiorentina but just one above Sassuolo in seventh, must win today if they are to consolidate their grip on sixth place, which will be enough to secure a European place, heading into the final two fixtures.
HALF TIME! We’ve reached the interval at the San Siro, where Frosinone have raced into a surprise 2-0 lead over Milan courtesy of sublime strikes from Luca Paganini and Oliver Kragl. Cristian Brocchi certainly has work to do if he is to inspire his side for what is going to be a vital second-half...
Despite their poor run of form, Frosinone wasted no time in taking the game straight to their hosts, with Paganini’s effort handing them the advantage after just two minutes. The visitors have rode their luck at times, with debutant goalkeeper Francesco Bardi having pulled off a string of superb saves to keep Milan at bay. However, Roberto Stallone’s side capped off what has been a brilliant first-half display one minute before the interval, with Kragl hammering in their second with a venomous free-kick. With fellow strugglers Palermo currently beating Sampdoria, it is vital that the visitors keep hold of this lead if they are to maintain their bid for Serie A survival.
FULL TIME! It’s all over at the San Siro, where Frosinone have been undone in the cruelest fashion, as Milan came from behind to salvage a 3-3 draw. It was an immense game in Serie A, and while Roberto Stallone’s men can hold their heads high, pride matters very little in the face of the looming threat of relegation.
Frosinone have every right to feel hard done by. After the visitors took a 2-0 first-half lead courtesy of sublime strikes from Paganini and Kragl, Milan were awarded a penalty early in the second half, which was well-saved by the excellent Bardi. However, the hosts hauled themselves back into proceedings shortly after, with Bacca netting from close-range following a calamitous error by the aforementioned goalkeeper. However, Stallone’s men soon found their two-goal cushion re-established when Dionasi capitalised on Alex’s mistake to slot in past Donnarumma.
Despite Milan’s best efforts, it appeared that Antonelli’s strike - with his first touch of the game after coming on as a substitute - would be a mere consolation for the hosts. However, there was to be one final twist, as the referee Davide Massa deemed what looked to be an accidental handball by Pryyma worthy of a spot-kick, and unlike with Balotelli’s earlier effort, Menez made no mistake with his finish to level proceedings. The aforementioned Liverpool-loanee did go close to snatching all three points for Milan in the dying embers of stoppage time, as his rasping effort hit the crossbar, but in the end both sides had to settle for a share of the spoils and a point that does neither of the clubs much good in their respective hunts for European football and Serie A survival.
The draw leaves Milan in seventh, with Sassuolo having moved into sixth courts of their win over Verona. As for Frosinone, they remain in 19th, four points adrift of safety with just two games remaining.
Well, that’s all we’ve got time for this afternoon. It has been a pleasure to bring you all the action from what was a thrilling Serie A encounter between Milan and Frosinone. Until next time, thank you and goodbye!
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