The 2022/23 Serie A season continues, for AC Milan, as the defending champions, but withdrew early from the championship race, the season finale is trapped in the Champions League, the Rossoneri are difficult to juggle, the Champions League and Serie A double line rout, the Champions League was eliminated by the city's archrivals and missed the final, the league was also opened by the top four, and next season's Champions League qualification is in jeopardy. In the 36th round of Serie A, AC Milan hosted relegated Sampdoria, AC Milan did not miss the opportunity to grab points, Giroud scored a hat-trick, Leo and Dias scored goals, and AC Milan won 5-1.
AC Milan against Sampdoria, Pioli sent a starting line-up of 340 million euros, Giroud Ding in the forward position, Messias, Dias, Leo in midfield, Krunic, Tonali partnered in the back, Calabria, Jaff, Tomori, Te'o formed the defensive line, and Meignan guarded the goal. For Sampdoria, the starting line-up is worth only 35.6 million euros, with Cualiaella as a single striker, Gabiadini, Guričic, Winks and Lairis in midfield, Rincón as a single back, and Lavaria guarding the goal.
In the 5th minute of the game, Messias dribbled the ball from the right and cut into the edge of the box to shoot wide from distance. In the 8th minute, Te'o burst into the box on the right and fell to the ground, but the referee did not indicate this. In the 9th minute, AC Milan attacked in front, Dias sent a pick pass from the front of the box, Leo cut forward into the box and single-handedly pushed the goalkeeper to score, AC Milan got off to a fantastic start, leading Sampdoria 1-0 at home.
In the 20th minute, Sampdoria counterattacked, Zanoli broke through from the right and crossed into the box, Cualiaella followed up with a push to score, Sampdoria equalized and drew 1-1 away at AC Milan. In the 23rd minute, AC Milan took a tactical corner kick from the left side, Dias sent a cross at 45 degrees, and Olivier Giroud's close-range header from inside the box headed into an empty goal, AC Milan once again exceeded the scoreline, leading Sampdoria 2-1.
In the 27th minute, AC Milan countered with a chance, Leo burst into the box with the ball in the middle and was tackled from behind by Gunter, the referee decisively awarded a penalty and showed Gunter a yellow card warning, Giroud took the penalty kick, AC Milan extended the score and led Sampdoria 3-1. In the 33rd minute, Tonali broke through and crossed, Giroud nodded in the box and his header was saved by the goalkeeper, and then Krunic's push from the middle was deflected.
In the second half, the two teams exchanged sides, and in the 51st minute, Sampdoria attacked on the left flank, Quagliarella crossed diagonally 45 degrees into the box, and Lairis followed up with a volley that deflected. In the 61st minute, Calabria crossed from the right and Olivier Giroud's header from inside the box was denied by the goalkeeper. In the 63rd minute, AC Milan countered with a diagonal ball from the top of the arc, Tonali burst into the box from the right, and Dias followed up with a push to score and AC Milan extended the score to 4-1.
In the 68th minute, Leo broke through from the left flank and sent a cross on the march, and Olivier Giroud scored the ball with his back in the box to give AC Milan a 5-1 lead over Sampdoria. After that, the two teams did not change the scoreline, and in the end, AC Milan beat Sampdoria 5-1 at home to end a three-game losing streak in all competitions.
According to the post-match data, AC Milan's possession rate is 62%, 9 of the 19 shots on target in the game, while Sampdoria's possession rate is only 38%, and the whole game 6 shots are 3 shots on target. After this campaign, AC Milan reached 64 points, keeping aside their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.