However, the "Cassano Show" has not stopped. At 30 minutes, Odo made a long pass, and Ibrahimovic headed the ball back. Without waiting for the ball to land, Cassano hit a stunning volley which was tipped over the bar by Milanter, but it still drew applause from the San Siro stadium. At 31 minutes, Cassano sent a brilliant diagonal pass that went over Gobi's head. After stopping the ball with his chest, Ibrahimovic faced Milanter one-on-one but his shot was saved. At 39 minutes, Cassano's counter-attack straight pass gave Ibrahimovic another one-on-one opportunity, unfortunately, after bypassing Lucarelli, he was tackled by Zaccherdo coming back to defend, and referee De Marco did not award a penalty. Does Cassano only have half-a-game's strength? The "Cassano Show" is just getting started! And Robinho's entry was the fuse that ignited the second "Cassano Show". At 61 minutes, Cassano broke through on the right flank and crossed the ball. Parma's defenders were only focused on Ibrahimovic, but Cassano's pass went behind Ibrahimovic to Robinho in the center who was unmarked. The speed and force of the pass were perfect, so Robinho didn't even need to control the ball before hitting a powerful shot which flew into the net under Milanter's arm.
In fact, Cassano's most beautiful pass wasn't either of these two assists, but rather two minutes before the second assist. At that time, while dribbling, Cassano suddenly stopped, shaking off Gemelli who was纠缠him, then pulled the ball back and, without moving, delivered a ground roller that went through all the opposing players directly to Ibrahimovic's feet 40 meters away. This reminded some people of Rui Costa's brilliant pass to Shevchenko in AC Milan's match against Real Madrid in 2002. Unfortunately, Ibrahimovic's curved pass to the far post was slightly deflected by the resilient Pazzi using his toe, and although Robben was perfectly positioned to receive the ball, it collided with his leg instead, missing the chance.
There are also claims that Cassano's previous inconsistent form mainly came from playing twice a week. In reality, for Cassano who had already stopped training for two months before winter, this was somewhat brutal. Fortunately, Cassano ended his own tough schedule with the most perfect conclusion. Next, Cassano will leave the tough schedule behind as he cannot play in the Champions League. He will focus on the league, and with a once-a-week game frequency, he has the potential to maintain his current crazy state.
Compared to scoring goals, Cassano's assists come much easier. This was his fourth assist since joining AC Milan, but soon there was the fifth, four minutes later. Cassano received a cross-pass from Ibrahimovic, turned around, and skillfully maneuvered the ball through Lucarelli's legs. Before Pazzi could intercept, he passed the ball to Robinho. Once again, Robinho didn't need to control the ball and pushed it into the net. It should be noted that before this, Cassano had not started in the last two games, and neither had Robinho scored in the last two games. The goal-scoring Robinho celebrated by "shoe shining" to thank Cassano for the assist. After the game, Robinho said: "I am happy for Cassano, I hope today his goal is the start of many more."
Before Allegri's words were finished, we saw the real Cassano, a Cassano from the Roma and Sampdoria era. Parma was unfortunately sacrificed to "Cassano's flag-raising ceremony." After the game, Allegri said: "I originally thought Cassano couldn't play 90 minutes, but he exceeded my expectations once again." Indeed, from the beginning of the game, Cassano completely changed his low spirits from last week, showing no signs of fatigue from playing midweek. During the game, Cassano often retreated to midfield for defense and committed three fouls during tackles.
At the 16th minute, Cassano's efforts finally paid off. At that time, Antonini received Cassano's brilliant sideline pass, sidestepped Zaccherdo, and crossed the ball to Seedorf inside the penalty area. As Seedorf received the ball, Cassano started running towards the penalty area from the sideline. Seedorf returned the ball, and Cassano, without controlling it, passed it to Gattuso at the top of the arc. Gattuso, similarly without stopping the ball, played a give-and-go with Cassano. Cassano, without adjusting, directly pushed the ball into the far corner. From the slow-motion replay, from Cassano starting his run along the sideline to the final goal, he ran diagonally towards the goal, touching the ball twice without slowing down, showcasing excellent technique and physical condition. It is worth noting that this attack itself began with Cassano (a straight pass to Antonini on the wing) and ended with him. After the game, Galliani praised: "This was an outstanding goal!"
One goal may be a bit less, but the achievement of five assists in eight games is indeed astonishing. After all, Ibrahimovic needed 23 games to achieve 10 assists. If we consider that out of the eight games, Cassano only started in three, it becomes even more impressive. Notably, AC Milan's record after the winter break was four wins and four draws, meaning that in the five games where Cassano did not start, AC Milan only won one.