At 3:45 AM Beijing time on March 20th (8:45 PM local time in Italy on the 19th), the 30th round of the Serie A League kicked off, with league leaders AC Milan traveling to face Palermo away. Goyan scored the only goal of the match, helping Palermo secure a 1-0 home victory over Milan and ending their five-game losing streak. Despite the loss away from home, Milan still leads the league with 62 points.
In the 29th minute, Goyan brought down Pato who was breaking through with the ball, earning Milan a free kick just outside the penalty area. Seedorf's direct shot was blocked by the wall. In the 31st minute, Pinilla's long-range shot was stopped by Abbiati diving to his side. In the 32nd minute, Cassano's close-range shot in the box went high. In the 39th minute, Cassano's shot after dribbling sideways also went high. In the 45th minute, Seedorf made a through pass for Pato, but Sirigu intercepted the ball. During the first-half stoppage time, Van Bommel was shown a yellow card for a foul during midfield defense. At halftime, Milan temporarily trailed 0-1.
AC Milan lineup (4312): 32-Abbiati / 20-Abate, 13-Nesta, 33-Thiago Silva, 18-Yangkuloski (77-Anthonini at 16') / 8-Gattuso, 4-Van Bommel (27-Boateng at 52'), 16-Flamini / 10-Seedorf / 7-Pato (70-Robinho at 63'), 99-Cassano
Milan's top scorer Ibrahimovic missed this game due to suspension, leaving Cassano, who has been in good form recently, to start alongside Pato. The veteran Seedorf played as the attacking midfielder, while Flamini, Van Bommel, and Gattuso formed the three midfielders behind them. On defense, the full-backs were Abate and Yangkuloski, with Nesta, celebrating his birthday that day, partnering Silva as center-backs. Happy Birthday, Nesta! Abbiati guarded the goal.
In the 7th minute of the first half, Ilicic took a shot from the edge of the penalty area but lacked power. In the 10th minute, Palermo's corner kick reached the box where Muñoz headed towards the left side of the goal. Nocerino nodded it back, and Goyan calmly adjusted before scoring from close range, giving Palermo a 1-0 lead. In the 13th minute, Yangkuloski was injured in a tackle and received treatment on the sidelines. In the 16th minute, Antonini came on to replace the injured Yangkuloski. In the 17th minute, Palermo's free kick from the right wing reached the front post, but Abbiati rushed out to claim it.
In the 63rd minute, Robinho replaced Pato, who appeared to have slightly injured his left ankle, marking Milan's final substitution. In the 65th minute, Robinho received a fine pass from Abate and crossed for Flamini, whose sweeping shot was blocked by Sirigu. In the 68th minute, Robinho's shot was saved by Sirigu. In the 71st minute, Cassano's free kick into the box found no one to connect, and the ball went directly out of bounds. In the 73rd minute, Miccoli came on for Pastore. In the 76th minute, Seedorf's long-range shot went wide of the right post.
Palermo lineup (3412): 46-Sirigu / 6-Muñoz, 3-Goyan, 8-Miliacio / 36-Darmian, 21-Bacinovic (94-Aquah at 69'), 23-Nocerino, 42-Barzagli / 27-Pastore (10-Miccoli at 73') / 51-Pinilla (9-Hernandez at 88'), 72-Ilicic
In the 18th minute, Abate's cross from the baseline was cleared by a defender for a corner kick. Seedorf's corner kick into the box saw Silva's header go out of bounds. In the 21st minute, Pato quickly took the corner kick, Cassano crossed, and Seedorf's header went wide. The injured Yangkuloski, who had just been substituted, seemed seriously hurt and left under the care of medical staff. In the 24th minute, Pato's direct free kick attempt went high. In the 25th minute, Pato was fouled during a breakthrough, and the referee verbally warned him for suspected diving.
Pato and Cassano started but couldn't save the team, as Milan lost 0-1 to Palermo.
In the 78th minute, Antonini's cross from the baseline found Gattuso, whose header was saved by Sirigu with a single hand. In the 81st minute, Miccoli cut inside the box and shot, which was caught by Abbiati. In the 88th minute, Palermo's coach replaced Pinilla with Hernandez. Ultimately, thanks to Goyan's only goal in the first half, Palermo defeated AC Milan 1-0 at home, stopping their five-game losing streak.
In the 47th minute of the second half, Ilicic's shot was saved by Abbiati. In the 49th minute, Pinilla's shot after creating space was firmly held by Abbiati. In the 51st minute, Seedorf controlled the ball, passed to the left side of the box, and Cassano's shot was blocked by a defender. In the 52nd minute, Allegri replaced Van Bommel with Boateng. In the 57th minute, Pastore crossed in front of the goal, and Darmian's follow-up shot missed. Subsequently, Flamini was shown a yellow card for a foul. In the 61st minute, Seedorf's long-range shot was saved by Sirigu.