With much of the European soccer world remarking how low AC Milan have fallen when they signed Adel Taarabt from Queens Park Rangers, the self-proclaimed “Moroccan Balotelli” made the critics swallow their words.
Starting in Milan’s eventual defeat at the hands of Napoli on Saturday, Taarabt provided a small bright spot in an otherwise disastrous match (and season).
Winning the ball in Milan’s half of the pitch, he’s given acres of space to bring it up through the center on the counter.
He does just that, getting all the way to the top of the penalty area before anyone closes him down, at which time it’s too late, and he fires low past Pepe Reina into the bottom right corner.
Taarabt made the switch to AC Milan on England’s Deadline Day this January, moving from Fulham where he was on loan.
The goal at the time put Milan up 1-0 early, but things go downhill from there for Milan in a match that would see the real Mario Balotelli in tears on the bench after being substituted off.
Those tears are a good representation of AC Milan’s season, as the club mires in 10th place, a calamity by their standards. They’ve been doubled up by Napoli, and ugly losses to Sassuolo and Parma dot a league schedule that boasts just seven wins.
They also crashed out of the Copa Italia in the quarterfinals to Udinese, and barely squeaked through into the Champions League knockout phase.
View the video of the Taarabt goal below: