Milan suffers but defeats Bruges. 3-1 and the Rossoneri’s first victory

Milan suffers, but finds their first victory of the season in the Champions League thanks to the 3-1 inflicted on Brugge. Pulisic’s goal and a brace from Reijnders gave the team the three points. There would also have been room for Camarda’s second record of the evening, but his goal was disallowed for offside and so the 16-year-old AC Milan talent must console himself with a debut that allows him to become the youngest Italian to make his debut in the top competition European.

The match begins with the Curva Sud in silence in protest against the club for the price of tickets, deemed too exorbitant, established in view of the home championship match against Juventus. After just two minutes, it takes a foot intervention from Maignan to block Tzolis’ way. A new mishandled ball in the middle of the pitch leads Tzolis to a curling shot in the 7th minute, with Maignan still forced to make a diving save. A few moments later, Ordonez hits the crossbar with a powerful right-footed shot from long range. In the 31st minute, the French goalkeeper was forced to put his foot down to save Jutgla, who was served into the area at the end of a quick counterattack. After a nightmare start, Fonseca’s men took the lead in the 34th minute. Pulisic kicks a corner from the left, the ball is not touched by anyone and goes into the bottom of the bag after being barely touched first by Morata and then by Gabbia. The goal is awarded to the American. A further turning point came in the 39th minute, when the VAR called the referee for a bad foul committed by Onyedika with a hammer foot on Reijnders, who was penalized with a red card after reviewing the action. The first half ends at 1-0. Despite their numerical superiority, the 7-time European champions approached the second half poorly and conceded a 1-1 draw in the 6th minute.

Newly substitute Vetlesen works a good ball into the area and serves the other new face Sabbe, who with a precise running right-footed shot beats Maignan for the equalizer. In the quarter of an hour, Fonseca removed Leao by introducing Okafor who, after a handful of seconds, immediately had a hand in his team’s new lead. The Swiss takes the ball on the left, skips past Sabbe and delivers an assist which Reijnders pounces on and passes Mignolet with his left foot to make it 2-1. In the 26th minute, a photocopy action leads to 3-1. Chukwueze sprints down the right, and delivers a perfect pass backwards which Reijnders pounces on again, beating Mignolet for 3-1.

At the half hour mark, the San Siro crowd welcomed the arrival of the 16-year-old Camarda onto the pitch with an ovation, becoming the youngest Italian ever to make his Champions League debut. Three minutes from the end, the very young talent from the academy even scored with a close-range header, but his and the entire stadium’s scream of joy was broken by the offside signaled by the referee after the intervention of the VAR.

Nothing to do for the 16-year-old, just a whisker away from becoming the youngest goalscorer in the history of the competition. In the finale, the result will no longer change. The Rossoneri, now at 3 points in the standings, will return to the field on Tuesday 5 November at 9pm in Real Madrid’s den.