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AC Milan suffered a 2-1 defeat at Fiorentina in Serie A on Sunday after goals from Yacine Adli and Albert Gudmundsson sealed the points in a clash with three missed penalties as David de Gea twice saved spot kicks to help the hosts.
In a pulsating encounter of near-misses and tense moments, De Gea and Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan pulled off breathtaking penalty saves. De Gea kept out spot kicks from Theo Hernandez and Tammy Abraham, while Maignan denied Moise Kean.
Milan start the international break in sixth place with 11 points, five behind leaders Napoli, while Fiorentina are 11th on 10 after two wins and a draw in their last three league games.
“Today’s win is crucial. Finally, the work we’ve put in over the past few weeks is starting to pay off. Beating Milan can set the stage for a different season,” De Gea told DAZN.
“It was an incredible night. I want to focus not on the penalties, but on the work the team is doing to give the fans a night like this.”
Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images
The drama began after 22 minutes when Fiorentina striker Kean’s frustrating night took shape as Maignan saved his penalty, which was awarded after Hernandez fouled Dodo.
Minutes later, Kean did find the back of the net but his effort was disallowed as he was clearly offside.
Adli eventually broke the deadlock 10 minutes before halftime with a low shot from the edge of the box that went in off the post but the on-loan Milan midfielder did not celebrate the goal out of respect for his parent club.
Milan earned a penalty themselves just before the break when Tijjani Reijnders was tripped by defender Luca Ranieri, but Hernandez’s attempt was saved by Spaniard De Gea, who made a stunning one-handed stop in the bottom corner.
Kean’s difficult night continued after the break when he had another effort ruled offside before De Gea kept out Abraham’s penalty nine minutes into the second half with a brilliant diving save after Kean fouled Matteo Gabbia.
It was the first time two penalties had been saved by one goalkeeper in a Serie A match since May 2016.
Milan finally scored on the hour mark when Christian Pulisic equalised with a perfect volley from a cross before Gudmundsson’s 73rd-minute strike put Fiorentina back in front.
Emotions ran high in the final moments as Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino was sent off for protesting, while Kean was again denied when his superb shot hit the underside of the bar and bounced out in the dying minutes.
Milan’s France striker Hernandez was celebrating his 27th birthday but received an unwelcome card when he was sent off at the end of the match for arguing with the referee.