Milan reappeared in this Champions League at the expense of PSG. Hit by an unspeakable 3-0 defeat two weeks ago at the Parc des Princes, the ‘Rossoneri’ are back in the fight to advance to the round of 16 thanks to their first victory in a true group of death (2-1) .
PSG advanced on the scoreboard but could not put a foot and a half into the next period and, instead, gave the lead to Borussia Dortmund, who had previously beaten Newcastle (2-0). After four rounds played, the four teams are separated by only three points: Dortmund (7), PSG (6), Milan (5) and Newcastle (4).
The first half was spectacular, a steady back-and-forth from the opening whistle with a hugely physical display by two absolutely vertical teams.
Skriniar scored early
Rafael Leao and Kylian Mbappé They have shown that they are very plugged in then Milan Skriniar opened the scoring in the 9th minute. Vitinha took a corner, Marquinhos headed in first time and the Slovakian centre-back scored, alone at the far post.
But Milan did not collapse and immediately responded with a good chance to score. Yunus Musah and shortly after the tying goal, the first Rossoneri after five Champions League games (the two in last season’s semi-finals and the first three of this one) without scoring.
Leao responded quickly with the Chilean
It is a counter led and Leao from Chile finished after Gianluigi Donnarumma blocked a shot by Olivier Giroud with a great handball (12′).
The former Milan goalkeeper was greeted by his fans, who threw him banknotes with his image and the inscription ‘mercenary’ as he jumped onto the field.
Dembélé, on the crossbar
In a match that never stopped, the tie gave way to a good chance for Mbappé, who only conceded against Mike Maignan but finished wide, yun excellent shot against the crossbar by Ousmane Dembélé From the edge of the area.
But PSG, except for specific moments, failed to maintain the control of the ball that Luis Enrique wanted in the face of local pressure and its defense was at the expense of the quick transition of a Milan launched by Leao but also for wasting Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Giroud sentence
The first half in which each team shot at the goal more than ten times allowed the French connection to beat PSG. With Leao in place, Theo Hernández put in a cross and Giroud beat Skriniar, into the net (fifty’).
This goal led to Milan retreating, aware of the importance of maintaining the victory. A free kick from Theo Hernández to which Donnarumma responded with a great save, it was his only chance in as many minutes in the second half that had nothing to do with the first.
Milan is fighting back
Stefano Pioli gathered players in defense and made it very difficult for PSG, who had no rhythm of play, and a Mbappé alone worried something with a shot from no angle which Maignan takes near the post (69′).
Milan were strong at the back and the changes introduced by Pioli eventually gave them the strength to extend the lead further with recently introduced Noah Okafor’s cross attempt being saved by Donnarumma with a providential hand.
Kang-in Lee, in the post
The PSG set fire to their ships and, in the only hole they found, Kang-in Lee hit the post in a great individual action. After five straight wins, Luis Enrique’s side handed the top of the group to Borussia Dortmund, while Milan, coming from three defeats and a draw, are again confident of qualifying for the round of 16.
MILAN
21
PSG
Milan: Magnan; Calabria, Tomori, Thiaw, Theo Hernández; Loftus-Cheek, Musah (Krunic, 84′), Reijnders; Pulisic (Florenzi, 92′), Giroud, Rafael Leão (Okafor, 85′)
The
PSG: Donnarumma; Achraf, Marquinhos, Skriniar (Barcola, 89′), Lucas Hernández (Mukiele, 65′); Zaïre-Emery, Ugarte (Fabián Ruiz, 60′), Vitinha (Kang-in Lee, 60′); Ousmane Dembélé, Kolo Muani (Gonçalo Ramos, 60′), Mbappé
Goals: 0-1 Skriniar (9′), 1-1 Rafael Leão (12′), 2-1 Giroud (50′)
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano (Spain). Yellows for Vitinha (24′), Kolo Muani (29′), Ugarte (43′), Lucas Hernández (55′), Musah (66′), Skriniar (80′)
Spectators: 75,649 at San Siro
The
see the match sheet
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
