As a substitute, Alvaro Morata played his first competitive game for his new club – and helped to earn a point for his own side after all
He wasn’t awarded a penalty just moments after coming on as a substitute in the 60th minute – even though it initially looked like he would be in real time. However, opponent Saul Coco had clearly played the ball first when he straddled him.
And with the score at 2-0 later on, Milan’s new signing Alvaro Morata perhaps no longer believed he would make a good debut as the Rossoneri’s new hope. The 31-year-old striker, who the Milanese had landed from Atletico Madrid and as Spain’s European Championship captain and European champion, openly told Sky Sport Italia after this Serie A opener: “The team was practically dead already.” And many a Milanisti had already started whistling in their heads
“If there had been five more minutes… ”
However, Morata’s late 89th-minute equalizer and Noah Okafor’s first-time volley into the net were to reconcile the traditional club from Lombardy, who had their backs to the wall, with their own critical fans. After trailing 2-0 against Torino, they still managed to secure a 2-2 draw – thanks to a powerful final phase that, for Morata’s taste, could have lasted longer than the eight minutes of stoppage time
“At least we sent out a message at the end because we turned the deficit around. And if there had been five more minutes, we would have won,” said the veteran, who has played twice in Serie A in the past – both times for Juventus (2014-2016 and 2020-2022). And is now working under the new AC coach Paulo Fonseca.
But how did the Madrid native rate his Milan debut? Quite soberly: “It wasn’t anything great because we didn’t win – and actually wanted to make a statement straight away.” What Morata did take away with him, however, were his first special impressions of the AC fans in the usually raucous Giuseppe Meazza Stadium: “San Siro is wonderful. Today was my first real experience of playing here for Milan. “
This prompted him to make a direct announcement: “I can’t promise goals or titles, but I can promise that I will work harder than anyone else. ”
