First-half double writes AC Milan into history books as Rossoneri equal 72-year-old Barcelona goal record

Posted Thursday, December 24, 2020 by Goal.com

The Rossoneri have been among the pacesetters in the Italian top flight but have now further enhanced their reputation with a major achievement

AC Milan's superb form in Serie A this season has seen the club write themselves into the history books following their 3-2 victory against Lazio on Wednesday, as Stefano Pioli's side continue to establish their serious Scudetto bona-fides.

The Rossoneri have been among the pacesetters in the Italian top flight, with serious daylight already between the top two of them and rivals Inter, and the rest of the chasing pack, including incumbent title holders Juventus.

The Bianconeri's midweek defeat to Fiorentina on Tuesday meant that, heading into their last match ahead of Christmas, Pioli's side remained the only unbeaten outfit across Europe's top five leagues.

With their win at San Siro, they added another notch to their cap for the 2020-21 campaign, becoming the first side for over 70 years to score two-plus goals in at least 15 consecutive games over a single calendar year across the same clutch of competitions.

Finishes from Ante Rebic, Hakan Calhanoglu and Theo Hernandez means that Milan have become only the second team to achieve the feat, following in the footsteps of Barcelona, who managed to go 18 games on the trot in 1948 with at least double successes in front of goal.

Fired by the scoring exploits of legendary attacker Cesar Rodriguez, the Blaugrana achieved title triumphs in La Liga in both 1947-48 and 1948-49, which may yet prove a promising omen for Pioli as he looks to break Juve's long-term stronghold on the Serie A crown.

Save a solitary 3-0 defeat to Lille in the Europa League group stages in November, the club are yet to lose a match across all competitions this term and remain among the favourites for both domestic and continental success.

It marks a remarkable run of form across multiple fronts, albeit one that was nearly scuppered in early October after Calhanoglu was required to find a 120th-minute finish in extra-time to force a penalty shootout against Rio Ave to secure European football.

With three more points now claimed, Milan will take Christmas and the new year off, returning to action on January 3 against Benevento following a festive rest period.