AC Milan secured their place in Prague next week by beating Slavia Praha 4-2 in a dramatic Europa League last-16 first leg.
The fact that Milan scored 4 goals, won the match and left the pitch not very satisfied says a lot about how the match went. A red card to Diouf tipped the momentum in favour of the hosts, especially when Olivier Giroud found out the opener, but Doudera’s equaliser stunned the San Siro crowd.
Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored back-to-back before the break to give the Rossoneri a 3-1 lead at half-time and it looked like the job was done, but Schranz then halved the deficit. A touch from Christian Pulisic gave some breathing room, however, when the full-time whistle blew, there was a lack of cheers that said it all.
Stefano Pioli opted to bounce back from the side that beat Lazio on Friday night with Tijjani Reijnders in midfield in place of Ismael Bennacer.
Referee Umut Meler imposed the law early on by penalising Alessandro Florenzi when he hit Konecny as he tried to reach the ball, meaning he will miss the second leg in Prague.
Slavia probably earned their first yellow card in the 10th minute, when Olivier Giroud flipped his player and was knocked to the ground right on the edge of the box. It resulted in a dangerous free-kick position, but Florenzi’s shot went over the roof of the box. the network.
The visitors then had a few chances. The first came when a cross from the right flank to the side of the box seemed to have found Diouf perfectly, but he breathed on the volley attempt, then Doudera found some joy by cutting Matteo Gabbia, but cut his shot much farther than Mike. . Maignan’s relay.
After 26 minutes, Slavia were reduced to 10 men in what at first glance appeared to be a regulation foul on Pulisic. Diouf brought down the American for good, but San Siro looked surprised when Meler showed him the red card, even though replays showed he had gone with tacks on his Achilles tendon.
The red card, unsurprisingly, replaced the momentum of the match and Milan took the lead in the 34th minute. Pioli’s side made good use of the ball on the edge of the box and discovered Leao, who cut sideways and gave the impression of firing a shot that went wide. , but allowed Giroud to duck and head towards the far post after the last man put him into play.
However, Slavia’s reaction could not have been greater, as they equalised in a matter of minutes. A corner cleared from the penalty spot but just outside the field where Doudera was waiting to unleash a good volley that Maignan could only deflect into the box. mail.
Milan then had to fight to repair their lead, with Leao saving Stanek to deny a Leao header, but then made an even bigger save from a corner when Gabbia’s header looked destined to go into the back corner.
As the pressure suggested, the Rossoneri took the lead and that came from Reijnders. A corner was not well closed by a tired Slavia, and the Dutch midfielder had time to interfere with a shot that he unleashed in the back left corner.
Another goal followed before the break and back from a free kick. Florenzi took the corner as he had on the second goal, this time propelling it into a very damaging field where Loftus-Cheek waited with the undeniable task of heading back. of the net in the face of a helpless Stanek.
Pioli made two adjustments at half-time, bringing on Fikayo Tomori and Davide Calabria in place of Gabbia and Florenzi, the latter shown a yellow card.
In the first half, the Czech team managed to interact with bodies to limit Leao’s influence, but the area began to appear after the red card and almost put his decision on the record at the start of the second half when he opened his frame and bowed. A shot that deflected just wide of the far post.
Although the rest of the game looked like a formality, Milan conceded a free kick and again, it was a ball they hadn’t dealt with properly. The delivery was introduced from the other side of the box where Schranz was waiting to bring it down unmarked. and take a shot to the far post.
A few minutes after the goal, Pioli took the lead and Luka Jovic replaced Loftus-Cheek.
The home enthusiasts began to stir as Milan struggled to dominate the game despite the players’ advantage, and in the last two adjustments Noah Okafor and Ismael Bennacer upgraded Giroud and Reijnders.
Jovic wasn’t far from making another big impact on the bench when he unleashed a boot at Leao’s cut and connected well with him even though he swept just wide of the post.
With just over five minutes remaining, Milan regained a two-goal lead and it was Leao who had to thank them. A quick move saw the ball deflect towards the winger who played with the defender before passing the ball over the goalkeeper, and it looked as if Pulisic had arrived to give it the finishing touch and send it over the line.
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