When Mariani awarded Genoa a penalty in injury time, the Milan defender vigorously rubbed his foot six times on the penalty spot: just like Maspero did with Salas in a Turin derby in 2001.

Last night, Ricky Maspero must have thought back—not without a certain satisfaction—to 25 years ago, when in a Turin derby he secretly dug his foot into the spot from which Salas was to take a penalty, causing the Chilean to send the ball into orbit. Well, Strahinja Pavlovic did the same thing against Genoa, with the same result. The new Maspero.

We are in the 99th minute of a match where everything is happening in the final stages. Mariani has just awarded Genoa a penalty after Bartesaghi fouled Ellertsson. The Rossoneri are tearing their hair out, because Leao had just scored the equalizer. Some are despairing, but others are taking the initiative. Pavlovic, during the endless discussions, goes to the penalty spot and literally “plows” it six times. Four with his left foot and two with his right, just to be sure. Unlike Maspero, who had moved on tiptoe, the Serbian defender acted ostentatiously, bordering on insolence (in fact, he was then cautioned for unsportsmanlike behavior). It was a surreal scene, both because of the duration and repetition of the gesture and because Stanciu—who already had the ball in his hands—noticed and watched without saying a word. He then placed the ball on the spot brutalized by Pavlovic and sent it into the top corner. Mission accomplished, just like in that derby at Maspero, who later described his initiative as a “stroke of genius.” We await a response from Strahinja…

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