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Yesterday in Italy was a sad day for football fans of all stripes.
A man who loved football and who grew up as footballer with us. #ACMilan are shocked by the passing of Davide #Astori. It is with great sadness that we offer our deepest condolences to his family and closed ones and to ACF Fiorentina
— AC Milan (@acmilan) March 4, 2018
As James Ruston wrote, Astori was a former Milan youth player that many expected to come back to Milan at some point in his career:
Astori never made a senior league appearance for AC Milan, however there was always interest in bringing the defender into the senior fold at Milan. The co-ownership deal between the rossoneri and Cagliari always provoked speculation about a return to Milan upon it’s annual expiry and then subsequent renewal by Cagliari. This was all ended when a move to Roma came about, and then the defender moved on to Florence to sign with Fiorentina.
Postponing the matches yesterday in Serie A was absolutely the right call. There is a time for football and a time to mourn. Yesterday was a time to mourn.
On to the links.
AC Milan and Italian Football Links
A tribute to Davide Astori by the SBNation Fiorentina blog, Viola Nation. [Viola Nation]
Because of the tragic passing of Astori, all Serie A fixtures yesterday were postponed. [AC Milan Offside]
Fiorentina defender German Pezzella said “his soul is crying” because of the passing of Astori. [Football-Italia.net]
Milan captain Leonardo Bonucci also paid tribute to Astori. [Italian Football Daily]
World Football Links
Arsenal, who Milan play on Thursday in the Europa League, are spiraling out of control, as they lost 2-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion yesterday. [The Short Fuse]
Los Angeles Football Club won its first-ever MLS game, 1-0 over MLS Cup runners-up Seattle Sounders. [Angels On Parade]
The highest profile match in Mexico was played Saturday night. Neither Club América or Chivas Guadalajara could find a winner, so El Clásico Nacional finished 1-1. [FMF State of Mind]
Manchester City beat Chelsea 1-0, forcing former Italy, Juventus, and current Chelsea boss Antonio Conte to defend his tactics. [BBC.com]