Online Reporter
DELE ALLI was sent off just TEN MINUTES into his first appearance in over two years.
The former England midfielder signed for Italian club Como in January on a free transfer.
Alli last played in the Turkish Super Lig for Besiktas and has penned an 18-month deal with the Serie A side.
The 28-year-old came off the bench on Saturday against AC Milan, his first appearance since February 2023.
But the cameo quickly turned into a nightmare for the ex-Tottenham ace.
Alli was shown a yellow card for a late tackle on Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the closing stages at the San Siro.
He appeared to rake his studs down the back of the former Chelsea man’s leg.
Referee Matteo Marchetti was called to the monitor after an intervention from VAR.
After studying the tackle for several minutes, Marchetti decided to upgrade Alli’s yellow card to a red.
The decision sparked fury on the Como bench, with head coach Cesc Fabregas seeing red himself shortly afterwards.
And even Milan’s Kyle Walker – a former England and Spurs team-mate of Alli – was seen begging with the ref not to send the 28-year-old off.
Alli broke through as a teenager at MK Dons before earning a big-money move to Tottenham in 2015.
He has since gone on to earn 37 England caps, but his career has taken a nosedive over the past five years.
Alli spent an unhappy three years at Everton, joining Besiktas on loan in 2023.
His last game before Como’s clash in Milan was a 0-0 draw with Antalyaspor in the Turkish Super Lig on February 26, 2023.
Meanwhile, AC Milan manager Sergio Conceicao is confident they are on the verge of turning their season around as he hailed his team’s resilience following their thrilling 2-1 victory over Como at home on Saturday.
The result marked their second consecutive Serie A comeback win, following last week’s 3-2 victory at Lecce, which followed three straight league defeats and a lengthy period of inconsistent results.
They are seventh in the table and facing a battle to claw their way up the standings and secure Champions League qualification for next season.
“I see results of a group that really wants to do well and gives its all. There’s an incredible desire to turn around the moment and Milan’s season,” Conceicao told reporters.
Milan struggled to contain Como in the first half, as the visitors created several chances both before and after their goal.
In the early stages of the second half, the hosts took over and turned the match around with goals from Tijjani Reijnders and Christian Pulisic.
“There were positive moments, but also some less good ones. We started the game well, then we conceded and doubts crept into the players’ minds. It happens. We were too deep, and our pressing wasn’t well executed,” the Portuguese manager said.
“In the second half, we did well exploiting Como’s weaknesses: you can see clearly in the goals we scored what we worked on. This break is important.”
Goalscorer Pulisic said he did not know why Milan had recently struggled in the first half of matches.
“I can’t give you a reason, we want to start the game stronger and I don’t know why this season we’re always in trouble in the first half. The important thing is to do better in the second,” he said. We have to be more positive, because we have won two games in a row. We have the chance to get where we want, but we think game by game.” — Reuters.
