The Olympic torch carried in recent hours by Allegri, the torchbearer, illuminates Lake Como and the Rossoneri bus’s return journey to Milanello. Speaking of light: Maignan’s saves, Nkunku’s penalty, and Rabiot’s first brace for Milan are the ingredients that allow Milan to use these three points to dispel the gloom of their performance in Como—a performance that was insufficient in itself but redeemed by the efforts of its most talented players. Allegri, however, by nature, is a man who focuses on the facts, and so he looks above all to these three points, which thwart Inter’s attempt to pull away and keep his team in the Scudetto race (see the standings here). The victory carries significant weight because Milan returns home knowing they won with three goals on a field where no team had managed to win this season (their last loss there was on May 25) and where Como had conceded only four goals so far. A victorious Rossoneri side in a match where they changed their formation three times.

magic mike—  “It’s not a matter of tactical adjustments,” Allegri clarified. “We started with four midfielders; we had some good passing lanes, but after falling behind, we lost our cohesion and took risks on a couple of counterattacks. Then, after getting back into the game, we switched to a three-forward formation, and in the second half, after equalizing, I preferred to return to our usual system—partly because they were starting to make technical errors. On Rabiot’s goal, Leao did a great job holding up the ball and played him a wonderful pass. The penalty? Rafa wanted to take it, and Nkunku is a penalty taker just like him—at that moment, I felt it was best to have Nkunku take it.  The team was resilient and really wanted this result. Füllkrug came on with the right attitude, as did all the substitutes. Against Como, it’s not easy when you fall behind; I preferred to strengthen the midfield. Maignan kept us in the game when it was 1-0.”