Milan's lethal substitutes defeat Empoli

After a lackluster first half, Milan's strategist, Sergio Conceicao, made the right move with a triple substitution at halftime, ultimately leading his team to victory. All three players introduced during the break played a part in the goals that secured the final 2-0 scoreline.

At halftime, which was forgettable for neutral spectators, Milan failed to justify its role as the favorite in this match. Quite the opposite—in the opening minutes, Empoli had more possession and looked more threatening.

It wasn’t until the 10th minute that we saw something resembling a chance for Milan when Yunus Musah took a shot from the right flank, but the ball ended up safely in goalkeeper Vasquez's hands. A similar attempt came in the 21st minute from newcomer Joao Felix, who struck from distance but sent the ball wide of the goal.

The visitors realized they wouldn’t have an easy task at the Carlo Castellani Stadium in the 33rd minute when, following a defensive scramble and an awkward reaction from Milan’s backline, Lorenzo Colombo struck the right post of goalkeeper Maignan.

There were hardly any other chances before the end of the half. Given the lack of excitement in the first 45 minutes, the only other moment worth mentioning was Theo Hernandez's shot after a foul was awarded in favor of the visitors, which went wide of a goal.

Thus, the teams went into halftime with the score still goalless.

If it wasn’t clear that nothing went right in the first half, it was indirectly confirmed by Sergio Conceicao, who made three substitutions at the start of the second half. Rafael Leao, Christian Pulisic, and Santiago Gimenez entered the game. The power of the Portuguese player was immediately evident, as he repeatedly attacked and threatened the home team's goal.

However, in the 55th minute, Milan was left with one less player after Fikayo Tomori committed a foul on Colombo, earning a second yellow card. Despite this, the hosts couldn’t find a way to break through Maignan’s goal.

Milan even had a chance first with Leao’s shot directly at Vasquez, and then, following a corner for the visitors and a mistake by the aforementioned goalkeeper, Felix had an opportunity to simply place the ball into the net, but it went wide.

Empoli had a man advantage for only 10 minutes, as in the 65th minute, after a conflict between Marianucci and Gimenez, the home player received a red card. Milan took advantage of this, and after a move involving substitutes Pulisic and Leao, they took the lead. The American sent a nice cross from the right, and the Portuguese player was highest at the far post, easily guiding the ball into the net.

But that wasn’t the end. In the 76th minute, another Milan substitute made his mark. After a nice combination with Pulisic, Gimenez skillfully dribbled past Goglichidze and, with a precise shot, doubled his team's lead.

Until the end of the match, Joao Felix had a notable attempt when he found himself alone against the goalkeeper, but Vasquez reacted quickly to deny him. As for the hosts, Ismael Konate had a shot that ultimately went wide of the goal.

After this victory, Milan remains in the fight for European competition, while Empoli, on the other hand, continues its battle for survival in the top tier of Italian football.

SERIE A - MATCHDAY

Friday

Como - Juventus 1-2 (1-1)

/Diao 45+1 - Kolo Muani 34, 89 pen/

Saturday

Verona - Atalanta 0-5 (0-4)

/Retegui 21, 25, 44, 56, Ederson 37/

Empoli - Milan 0-2 (0-0)

/Leao 68, Gimenez 76/

22.45: (2.30) Torino (3.20) Genoa (3.60)

Sunday

14.30: (5.10) Venezia (3.60) Roma (1.73)

17.00: (1.95) Cagliari (3.60) Parma (4.20)

17.00: (1.37) Lazio (4.80) Monza (9.00)

20.00: (4.10) Lecce (3.40) Bologna (1.95)

22.45: (1.43) Napoli (4.40) Udinese (8.00)

Monday

22.45: (1.47) Inter (4.30) Fiorentina (7.00)

***odds are subject to change***