He received the ball on the left flank and drove towards goal with pace. As he cut in, he found the opening and unleashed a curling strike which beat Sampdoria’s Sergio Romero and rippled the back of the net.
Stephan El Shaarawy had opened the scoring, ending his Serie A goal drought of 622 days. After scoring the goal, he went crashing to the ground and buried his face between his arms. It seemed like he was sobbing. He wasn’t. He was liberated, a palpable relief that was felt across the stadium and television screens alike.
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Ever since he burst forth onto the global stage with his dazzling performances for AC Milan in 2012, El Shaarawy has gone amiss. Injuries, coaching changes and dithering striking partnerships have halted the forward’s growth. In the midst of this chaos, constant rumors of alleged moves away perpetuated the instability. Yet, he maintained a dignified silence, remaining committed to his cause at AC Milan. In the last two years, the club has constantly reinforced the striking department, causing the prodigy to sink beneath the ever increasing heap of mediocrity around him.
Stephan El Shaarawy, or Il Faraone (The Pharaoh) as he is fondly called, is a confidence player. It is no coincidence, that his best performances for the club came in 2012, when he played a pivotal role in aiding AC Milan’s qualification into the Champions League.
He ran the miles, linked the midfield with the attack and scored crucial goals. As his goal-tally reduced, his performances deteriorated, much to the point that he has spent a good part of this season sulking on the bench. The goal on Saturday night could be the turning point that returns a smile on his face and adds a spring in his step.
He needed that goal. But more than him, it is the club that needed him to break the duck. But apart from plausibly altering the dynamics domestically, El Shaarawy’s goal at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris adds a new dimension to the Italian national team. Italy coach Antonio Conte was seated at the stadium witnessing this performance. El Shaarawy’s magnificent curler instantly puts him back into contention for national representation.
On November 5th of this year, Conte had challenged Stephan El Shaarawy to take the leap into greatness. When talking to reporters in Milan, Conte said, “El Shaarawy has great potential, he is young and he is going through the phase of becoming a footballer. It’s up to him to either become a normal football player or a great football player.” The goal he scored on Saturday is a response which takes the conversation forward.
Although his ideal position remains a riddle, El Shaarawy has performed best as an inverted winger. Unfortunately for the Savona born forward, Conte is spoiled for choice in that department. Antonio Candreva, Manolo Gabbiadini, Alessio Cerci, Giacomo Bonaventura, Antonio Cassano, Lorenzo Insigne and Domenico Berrardi are few of the forwards El Shaarawy must contend with.
However few have the ability, agility, speed and work rate of El Shaarawy. He is a one-trick pony, a criticism which is fairly justified. But, that trick, is pretty damn good.
This goal could open the Azzurri gates for the AC Milan man; and if it does have the desired psychological and sporting effect on him, both club and country stand to benefit.
Follow Rajath Kumar on Twitter: @rajathkumar. You can read his work on his AC Milan blog “Milan and Me; The Love Affair” — http://rajaththemilanista.wordpress.com/
