The 29-Minute Blitzkrieg at San Siro

Look, I love a good old-fashioned execution as much as the next guy. Watching 71,273 fans at San Siro erupt as AC Milan put four goals past Venezia before the stadium clock even reached thirty minutes was pure, uncut football catharsis. It felt like watching Goldberg squash a local competitor on Monday Night Raw before anyone could even finish opening their bag of chips.

Theo Hernández set the tone in the second minute after sprinting down the left flank like a runaway freight train with broken brakes. Jesse Joronen in the Venezia goal had zero chance when Theo rattled that low drive off the near post into the mesh. It was fast, it was angry, and it immediately signaled that Eusebio Di Francesco was in for a long, brutal evening.

Before Venezia could even catch their breath, Youssouf Fofana turned in a corner from Christian Pulisic in the 16th minute to double the lead. Then came the penalty parade. Pulisic stepped up to the spot in the 25th minute and buried his shot with cold-blooded confidence after a clumsy challenge inside the box. By the time Tammy Abraham converted his own penalty in the 29th minute for his debut Rossoneri goal, the match was effectively over.

If you turned off the television right there to grab another slice of pizza, nobody could blame you. Milan had locked up all three points before the half-hour mark in front of a rocking crowd at San Siro. According to AC Milan's official match report, that opening half-hour barrage marked one of their fastest four-goal starts in modern club history.

Christian Pulisic is Becoming Milan's Most Dependable Weapon

Can we talk about Christian Pulisic for a minute without getting into weird internet flame wars? The American has been ridiculous since arriving in Italy, and against Venezia he operated like a surgeon in a room full of butcher knives. Every time he picked up the ball in the half-spaces, Venezia’s defense looked like they were trying to catch smoke with their bare hands.

Pulisic didn't just score his penalty; he pulled the strings all night long. He created three clear chances, grabbed an assist on Fofana's header, and constantly pressed Venezia’s backline into turnover after turnover. Paired with Theo Hernández’s ruthless aggression on the wing, Milan possessed an overload capability that Serie A bottom-feeders simply cannot handle.

When Theo and Pulisic click, Milan look like Prime Real Madrid on the counter attack. They play with a terrifying speed that turns transition situations into instant goal-scoring opportunities. Theo's overlapping runs open up massive lanes for Pulisic to drift inward, creating an impossible dilemma for opposition full-backs who don't know whether to stick or step out.

Tammy Abraham also looked completely reborn leading the line in his full debut. He fought for long balls, linked up play cleanly with Tijjani Reijnders, and earned the penalty that he calmly slotted home. Having a focal point up front who actually physicalizes defenders gives Milan an element of grunt they missed when trying to play cute passing triangles around the box.

Eusebio Di Francesco’s Tactical Suicides Never Disappoint

God bless Eusebio Di Francesco. The man sees a high defensive line with zero midfield protection and thinks, 'Yeah, that will stop them.' Watching Venezia set up their defensive line near the halfway line against players like Theo Hernández and Rafael Leão is like leaving your front door wide open in Gotham City and expecting Batman to guard your toaster.

Venezia’s center-back pairing of Jay Idzes and Joel Schingtienne looked utterly abandoned by their midfield. Midfielder Hans Nicolussi Caviglia spent the first thirty minutes chasing shadows while Fofana and Reijnders waltzed through the central corridors completely unbothered. Joel Pohjanpalo was left isolated up front like a lone survivor on a deserted island, getting maybe five touches in the attacking third all night.

Di Francesco’s teams always play with admirable ambition, but ambition without defensive structure in Serie A is just suicide with extra steps. You cannot roll into San Siro against a team desperate for a win after dropping points to Torino and Parma and expect to play open-door football. As SempreMilan's match coverage pointed out, Venezia left massive gaps behind their wing-backs that Milan exploited relentlessly from the opening whistle.

Let's look at how that opening half-hour beatdown broke down on paper:

  • 2nd minute: Theo Hernández scoring a low strike off a rapid left-wing break
  • 16th minute: Youssouf Fofana redirecting Pulisic's corner into the net
  • 25th minute: Christian Pulisic converting a penalty after a bad tackle
  • 29th minute: Tammy Abraham scoring from the spot to make it 4-0

The Negative Reality: Milan’s Midfield Leak Still Exists

Now, let's pump the brakes before every Milan fan starts planning the Scudetto party parade route down Corso Buenos Aires. Beating up on Venezia is great for team morale, but it masks serious structural flaws that haven't magically disappeared. Once Milan put four goals on the board, they completely took their foot off the gas and allowed Venezia to register several decent looks in the second half.

The defensive transition in Paulo Fonseca's midfield remains as porous as a cheap kitchen sponge. Whenever Venezia managed to break past Fofana's initial press, they found acres of space between Milan's midfield unit and the back four. Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlović had to make several emergency recoveries because the central midfield failed to track trailing runners.

Against Venezia, you can get away with sloppy positioning because their quality in the final third is lacking. Against Lautaro Martínez and Inter Milan, or against top-tier opposition in the Champions League, those same defensive lapses will turn into conceded goals faster than you can order an espresso. Fonseca still hasn't figured out how to make this 4-2-3-1 system compact when the opposition holds sustained possession.

Furthermore, Rafael Leão had another strange night where he showed flashes of brilliant skill mixed with bewildering apathy. He produced a brilliant backheel pass to set up Theo's opener, but then spent long stretches walking back on defense and giving away cheap possession. When your marquee superstar plays with the urgency of a guy waiting for a bus on a Sunday morning, tougher teams will take advantage.

The Verdict: A Necessary Win, but Tougher Tests Await

This victory was a mandatory step for Milan to steady the ship after an awkward start to the campaign. Getting three points in front of 71,273 spectators provided breathing room for Fonseca, who was already feeling the burn of the San Siro pressure cooker. Winning four to zero gives everyone a week of peace, but it doesn't solve the long-term questions surrounding this roster.

Can Fonseca instil real tactical discipline when Milan face high-pressing sides? Will Fofana and Reijnders develop the defensive partnership needed to shield the back line against top-four rivals? Or will Milan revert to their chaotic, split-squad tendencies the second a serious opponent punches them in the mouth?

Enjoy the four goals, celebrate Tammy Abraham getting off the mark, and appreciate Pulisic playing like an absolute superstar. But keep your receipts and keep your guard up. Beating Venezia is what big clubs are supposed to do on a Saturday night. The real test of whether this Milan squad can fight for silverware starts now, and beating a relegation contender won't hide the cracks for long if the defensive organization doesn't improve dramatically.