Today’s match between Manchester City and AC Milan had a little bit of everything. A pitch invasion to obtain a selfie, a weather delay, six goals, a great crowd, and a whole lot of world-class talent. Over 34,000 turned out to Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field to see Manchester City dismantle AC Milan by a 5-1 margin. “I think it was a very good game for our team,” Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini said. “It’s important to win and also important to score five goals. But not only that, I feel like we played with a good pace and that for me is important.” It was a certainly great day for Stevan Jovetic, who finished with a brace after goals in the 11th and 58th minutes. The former Fiorentina star was indeed a handful for the AC Milan backline, proving to be a deadly finisher in the attack. Jovetic would be joined on the scoresheet by Scott Sinclair (13th minute), Jesus Navas (23rd), and Kelechi Ihenacho (26th). The Navas goal was the most impressive, scoring off a sick side-volley that beat Michael Agazzi and added to a rout. It was a breakout performance for Jovetic, who struggled with injuries last season. “I think that now that he is continuing every day, he will demonstrate why he is here at Manchester City,” Pellegrini added. “Because I think he’s a very good player.” Sulley Muntari scored the lone AC Milan goal in the 43rd, keeping the Serie A side from being shut out. Muntari, Michael Essien, and Mario Balotelli all saw time in the match so Milan fans were able to at least see the team’s star despite a difficult result. “It was a great atmosphere today,” AC Milan manager Filippo Inzaghi said via a translator. “Usually when AC Milan comes to the U.S., they get a lot of support from their fans here. He hopes that on Saturday that they are able to give them a better result on the field.” A weather delay due to lightning and high winds kept fans under cover for about 30 minutes, but the crowd remained engaged for an even more entertaining second half. Only one goal was scored in the final 45 minutes as the game was much more competitive.
Balotelli had a late goal called back much to the chagrin of his many fans in attendance. He received quite a few cheers and jeers when two fans entered the pitch just to get a selfie with the Italian national team superstar. He smiled for the picture, just before security and police escorted the two offenders off the field. Apparently a photo is worth more than a thousand words, even more than a night in the county jail. Tonight’s crowd broke the record for a soccer audience in Pittsburgh, a considerable improvement over the 25, 137 that turned out for Chelsea/AS Roma in 2004. Complete Photo Gallery Courtesy of Matt Shisler/ISNSoccer.com Our Subside Sports Man of the Match is an obvious choice as Stevan Jovetic takes home the honor. We hope that this is the start of great things for the talented striker; hopefully he can avoid the injury bug this season.
