The referee's whistle came fifteen minutes later, and the broadcast settled into its closing summary with the scoreboard sitting in the corner of the screen doing its quiet confirming work.
AC Milan 2 — Wigan Athletic 3.
Giroud had pulled one back with a header in the final stretch, rising above everyone and everything in the box to push it into the back of the net and for a spell afterwards, Wigan had defended with the compact determination of a side that knew what it had and intended to keep it.
At the end, they had kept it.
"Full time here at the San Siro," the commentator said. "
And I'll say what needs to be said plainly. Pre-season or not, Wigan Athletic have won here tonight. Against AC Milan, at the Giuseppe Meazza, with a starting eleven whose average age would make your eyes water."
"All I can say is that Dawson's side are going to be something this season. I don't know exactly what yet. But something."
