AC Milan forward Rafael Leao scored the fastest goal in Serie A history in a well-worked goal right from the kick-off. It was the 21-year-old’s third goal of the season.
AC Milan went on to defeat Sassuolo 1-2 away from home. They have 31 points from 13 games and are leading the Serie A table. City rivals Inter Milan are at second with 30 points.
AC Milan were without Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ante Rebić. But clever movement on and off the ball in the final third meant that AC Milan were a huge threat right from the kick-off.
Rafael Leao’ Goal and Milan’ Attack:
Hakan Çalhanoğlu took off towards the goal right from kick-off and slid it towards Rafael Leao. Rafael took a strong touch that got him past the Sassuolo defence. He took another touch to position himself before slotting it past Andrea Consigli.
Minutes later Alexis Saelemaekers put Rafael in acres of space down the right. Rafael burst towards goal and cut it back to Çalhanoğlu who was at the edge of the box. He struck it first-time and bundled it into the bottom left corner. But the goal was not counted as Saelemaekers was offside in the build-up.
Saelemaekers scored the 26th minute from a counter-attack to make it 0-2. Theo Hernández took the ball all the way from the halfway line to the goal. He then slid it to an unmarked Saelemaekers, who blasted it into an empty net.
Sassuolo pulled one back to make it 1-2 from a deflected freekick by Domenico Berardi in the 89th minute. It was too late for a comeback by then.
Rafael’s goal took just six seconds. It broke the record set by Paolo Poggi in 2001 who had scored in 8 seconds.
We have four or five kick-off patterns. (Leao) was prepared
– Stefano Pioli
The move shocked the Sassuolo defence. Will we see more of these more often?
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