Allegri was startled.
As a top-level coach, he naturally understood just how surprising Shane's performance had been in that sequence.
His tempo control was simply too strong.
By manipulating speed and rhythm, he had torn open a gap in what looked like a very solid defensive structure, then quickly seized the fleeting opening and delivered an accurate forward pass.
That kind of tempo control, movement, and passing ability was truly world-class.
"Close it down! Tighten up! Don't give them that kind of chance!"
Allegri roared.
But he quickly realized that the problem was not that his players were defending poorly, nor that AC Milan's defensive structure was disorganized.
The rhythm was on Atlético Madrid's side.
More precisely,
it was in Shane's feet.
He would slow things down through sideways passes and backward passes to create pressure.
Then suddenly accelerate.
This pattern of slow, then fast, then slow again
made AC Milan's players very uncomfortable.
Fast, then slow, then fast again.
It was exhausting them.
And once they reacted a step too slowly,
the opponent would use one pass to create danger.
"Shane gets the ball... lays it off... Shane receives it again, turns suddenly, chips it to the wing... Juanfran crosses! Costa! Oh! He heads it wide!"
"Atlético still controlling possession... Shane gets the ball... Muntari! That was too aggressive! Foul! The referee verbally warns Muntari, but Atlético's players are unhappy. They think Muntari at least deserved a yellow card!"
"Atlético are getting shooting chances over and over. That shows AC Milan's defensive restrictions on them are starting to weaken, and that is directly related to Shane's performance. In a very short time, Shane has found a way to deal with Milan's three-holding-midfielder system!"
Shane got back up from the ground.
He did not care whether the referee had shown Muntari a yellow card.
What mattered to him was the opponent's state.
From Muntari's actions, he could tell that the man was getting anxious.
That was a microcosm of AC Milan as a whole.
It meant his recent attacking orchestration had truly struck the weak point of Milan's defensive system.
This kind of fast-slow-fast combination
made it very hard for AC Milan's back line to keep up.
Shane's free kick drifted just wide.
But the San Siro crowd was not pleased.
AC Milan's fans were very knowledgeable.
Of course they could see it.
This setup was becoming less and less effective against Shane.
The more active Shane became,
the more dangerous AC Milan's goal became.
They had not conceded yet only because Milan had been somewhat lucky.
But they could not survive on luck forever, because luck would eventually run out.
Shane's read was correct.
AC Milan's players were indeed starting to get impatient.
In the 25th minute,
Big Boateng brought Shane down from behind and was booked.
"That is AC Milan's first yellow card of the match. The referee has been a little too lenient in this game..."
Spanish commentator Mario complained.
"AC Milan's players have been trying all along to break up Atlético's attacking rhythm with fouls, and they have only just now received a yellow card..."
The home fans were also very unhappy with the decision.
Of course they felt the yellow was unnecessary.
So when the referee pulled it out, the whole stand responded with boos.
If this had been in China, the entire stand would probably have been shouting, "The ref is an idiot."
That is how the referee's job is.
Most of the time,
it pleases nobody.
This foul was a little too far from goal, so Shane did not shoot directly.
Instead, he delivered the ball into the box, where Miranda got on the end of it, but Abbiati claimed the header.
AC Milan then tried to launch their own attack.
But when they reached Atlético's midfield and holding line, Shane stepped up and intercepted Montolivo's attempted pass toward Dejan.
Shane then carried the ball forward himself.
Boateng came up to interfere again.
He was very active defensively.
Even carrying a yellow card, it did not seem to change that.
Shane did not bother to tangle with him.
He knew Boateng already had a booking, but the chance of the referee giving the same player a second yellow in a short span was not high, so there was no point wasting time on him.
He moved the ball on.
On the wing,
Koke carried it forward.
After releasing the ball, Shane kept moving up to offer an angle.
Koke was facing Abate and had no very good option, so he chose to pass to Shane.
As he ran, Shane was reading AC Milan's defensive line.
This was actually a counterattack, and Milan's overall shape was shifting from attack to defense.
During that transition,
their tightly knit chain defense had not fully formed yet.
So there was still space to exploit.
Shane did not stop the ball. He met it and used his left foot to chip it up.
The ball arced through the air and was redirected to Raúl García on the right side.
Muntari had just rushed up to defend Shane, but clearly he had come too late.
Raúl García immediately drove forward with the ball, then whipped in a cross.
He did not choose a lofted ball. Instead, he hammered a driven diagonal pass across the box, low and fast, skimming the ground.
Balls like that are awkward for defenders.
Because they can easily turn into own goals...
"Beautiful! What a beautiful attack from Atlético!"
AC Milan's defense had been made a little loose by Atlético's quick switches from left to right.
Their penalty area had become chaotic.
What had once been a tightly linked chain had now turned into a collection of isolated defenders fighting on their own.
The box was crowded, but the space just outside it was wide open.
Shane naturally saw that area.
The ball slipped past Mexès's foot.
Mexès looked awkward, his body in a twisted position. In that situation, he did not dare stick a foot out to block it. He wanted to clear the ball, but just as he lifted his leg, the ball struck his heel and rebounded toward the empty space just outside the top of the box.
When he turned his head,
he saw a yellow Atlético Madrid shirt bursting into the area, with a red-and-black shadow following right behind.
Muntari had already reacted the moment he saw Shane start his run.
Normally, his reaction was already quick enough.
But because Shane was still a half-step faster, he had no advantage in position.
Under those circumstances,
Muntari was pushed behind him and could no longer win the ball directly.
All he could do was try to disrupt Shane as much as possible.
As Shane ran, he did not swing through with a big leg motion for a shot.
That kind of shooting action would only give defenders a chance to win the ball.
When the ball arrived, he used a quick flick of the lower leg to drive it toward goal.
Inside the box,
Griezmann saw the ball flying toward him.
Instinctively, he ducked aside.
The ball flew past his waist.
Abbiati had seen Shane coming in, but his view was blocked, and he had not seen the shot itself.
Only when the ball flashed past Griezmann's waist did he finally see it.
But by then, there was nothing he could do.
He could only pray that the ball would go high or wide.
Unfortunately for him,
under Abbiati's gaze,
the ball flew straight past the goal line and slammed into the net...
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!"
Spanish commentator Mario shouted in delight.
"One-nil!! Atlético Madrid have taken the lead away from home! They have the away goal!"
"SHA---NE CAR---TER!!!" He Wei roared. "Beautiful! Beautiful buildup, beautiful finish! This is a delightful attacking performance from Shane Carter, his ninth Champions League goal! His ninth!"
"Another giant club has had its goal breached by him!"
Amid the commentators' screams,
Shane sprinted to the sideline after scoring and clenched his fist toward the hardcore AC Milan supporters who had been cursing him from the opening whistle until now.
The Milan fans were momentarily stunned.
Then they erupted into furious boos.
"What are you so proud of, bastard!"
"It's just one goal!"
"We are AC Milan!"
Behind the goal,
middle fingers filled the stands.
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