Doha : AC Milan made it through to the semi-finals of the Al Kass International Cup following a greatly impressive 3-2 win against highly touted Kashiwa Reysol.
Having gone 2-0 down, the Italians came back strongly in the second half, with goals from Niccolo Zanellato, Michele Spinelli, Mattia El Hilali and overturning a daunting deficit.
Fully deserving of their win, the Rossoneri showed fantastic fighting spirit following a solid first half performance from Kashiwa Reysol. Organised, industrious and combative, the Japanese outfit first neutralised then outplayed Milan for the entirety of the opening half.
Taigo Ota had the Chiba-based club off to a perfect start with a strike that confirmed Reysol’s early dominance. Dispossessing captain Andrea Malberti inside his own half, Shunta Nakamura broke through the Milan defence on 10 minutes before making a charge towards the opposition goal.
Joined in the box by his attacking team-mates, Nakamura pulled back for Ota, who slotted home a calm, mature finish that defied his years.
Eight minutes later and Reysol had doubled their advantage. Another sublime combination move, this time Ota broke at speed through the Milan midfield before laying off to Nakamura, who did well to skip past two challenges and fire past Milan keeper Fransesco Cancelli.
With 65 percent possession in the first half, Reysol looked by far the better side, and were denied a third goal in the 29th minute after a questionable decision from assistant referee Hussain Al Syed. Slotting home after a fantastic through ball from Nakamura, Ota appeared to be at least two yards behind the AC Milan defence before making his run into the box. Unfortunately for the rampant Japanese youngsters, the goal was called offside.
Yet, despite this setback, as the first half ended it seemed certain that Reysol were heading for a comfortable victory, particularly given the fitness levels that had seen them compete strongly throughout their two previous games.
Coming out for the second half, however, the two teams looked entirely different to the ones who had left the field 15 minutes previously.
With all of Reysol’s starting 11 having played earlier in the week against PSG and FC Barcelona, the Japanese youngsters began to fade, and it wasn’t long before Milan got back into the game.
Following a series of assaults on the Kashiwa goal, with Patrick Cutrone denied by several impressive Someya saves, the Italians pulled one back in the 67th minute when the Japanese keeper rose prematurely to meet a cross from Cosimo La Ferrara.
With the ball sailing over the head of the shot-stopper, Niccolo Zanellato headed home at the back post to make it 2-1.
With the Italians now firmly in the ascendancy, an equaliser began to look increasingly likely. Cutrone, who had scored four in his last two games, twice came close to leveling, first with an acrobatic bicycle kick that tested Someya on 75 minutes, and a then through a headed effort that was ruled offside two minutes later.
Soon enough, though, Milan had forced an equaliser. Awarded a free kick inside the Kashiwa box, Cutrone laid off for midfielder Michele Spinelli, who delivered a low, drilled effort into the Reysol wall. The substitute’s fierce shot took a deflection and found a way past a despairing Someya.
Now full of belief and confidence, Milan’s third seemed inevitable and, in the game’s 84th minute, the Italian job was completed when Niccolo Zanellato crossed into the Kashiwa Reysol box.
Rising to meet the ball first was La Ferrara, whose headed effort rebounded off the crossbar into the path of Mattia El Hilali. The midfielder made no mistake, nodding home the rebound to make it 3-2.
Goals from Fluminense substitutes Frank Franko and Jobson Dos Santos fired the Brazilian side into the semi-finals at the expense of early favourites FC Barcelona.
Reigning champions Fluminense won 2-0 after holding out against a Barca side who had looked the better team for much of the game.
The Peninsula
