Milan die in the trophy, a pity Dee Cutleri (on Beckham’s boot): ‘Still a long-term investment’ | Series A

It wasn’t because of his good behavior. Nor his effort. In the Coppa Italia, against Torino, Charles De Cutlery got his chance at striker, replacing Olivier Giroud. His first venue in Milan since October 25th. His first full game too – suddenly up to 120 minutes.

With Milan’s busy schedule, Stefano Pioli has been rotating hard. Most of the strongholds were relieved. It was mainly the backups that were allowed to show up, with the support of some key players like Diaz and Tonali. The other two Belgians also started in Milan: Alexis Saylemakers and Esther Franks. For the former KVM player, this was his first starting place with the Rossoneri. Divock Origi has been missing out due to constant injuries.

Before the break, De Cuttleri came close to scoring twice. He cornered with his header at the far post. Bad luck again – he hasn’t scored in an official match since April 1, 2022. He grabbed his hair. In the first half he created space for himself for the sixteen. His powerful shot was directed very centrally. Milinkovic-Savic (ex-Standard) knew what to do with that.

In the final (0-0), Pioli brought the two stars, Liao and Giroud, to force qualification. De Ketelaere fell back and got up again. He hit twice, but Milinkovic-Savic held out.

In extra time, Adobo decided the match in favor of Torino. Tap for the Italian hero. De Cutlery, the only Belgian left between the lines, bowed his head proudly. You cannot score points this way.

Last week, Milan’s three Belgian newcomers (CDK, Origi, Vranckx) received bad points in the Italian media’s temporary transfer report.

Mlilan legend and sporting director Paolo Maldini once again defended De Ketelaere, saying: “De Ketelare is 21 years old. A young player we’ve been committed to for five years. Long term investment. I don’t understand why some consider the cup game in January as his last lifeline. More balance in the rating please. We’ve seen that many times. And the Tonali affair (which also required a year of break time, ed.) taught us a lot. We have to be patient with the young goalkeeper.”

De Ketelaere wore great boots from his personal sponsor, Adidas, against Torino. The Predator’s delicate Archives (white, black, and with a dash of rose) is the German manufacturer’s tribute to its ambassador, David Beckham.