When Passing Becomes an Art

As experienced professionals, the AC Milan players wouldn't give up the game easily. They continued attacking — and finally, a clear goal-scoring chance came their way during the 84th minute.

It all began with Nigel de Jong, the AC Milan defensive midfielder, winning the ball in the middle third. The Dutch midfielder expertly slid in to steal the ball from Andrea Pirlo before threading a pass to Sulley Muntari, his counterpart in midfield.

Sulley Muntari, in turn, controlled the ball well before passing into the wings to find Keisuke Honda, the AC Milan right-winger. Honda also worked quickly to control the ball and skip past Kwadwo Asamoah's sliding challenge. When the angle opened up, he immediately unleashed a curling cross towards the box from the border of the final third.