Milan's war against VAR

After a shock home defeat to Cremonese in the opening round — a result that felt like a cold shower — Milan’s players managed to recover and claim a 2-0 victory away at Lecce.

The opening 45 minutes between Lecce and AC Milan ended goalless (0-0), in what proved to be a fairly uneventful and scrappy affair, with only a handful of real chances for either side.

Milan thought they had taken an early lead in the 4th minute when Matteo Gabbia rose highest from a corner and powered a header into the net. The celebrations, however, were short-lived as referee Livio Marinelli consulted VAR and ruled the goal out for a foul in the build-up.

The Rossoneri looked the more threatening side, but clear opportunities were scarce. In the 36th minute, Ruben Loftus-Cheek came closest, directing a close-range header on target, only for Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone to react sharply and keep it out.

Lecce offered little going forward, with Mohamed Kaba’s speculative effort from distance in the 43rd minute sailing well over the bar.

As halftime approached, Milan wasted two golden chances in stoppage time. Santiago Tomas Gimenez somehow missed from point-blank range inside the six-yard box, his effort drifting just wide of the right post in the 45+3 minute. Moments later, Strahinja Pavlovic had a clear look at goal after meeting a precise cross, but his shot lacked the power to beat Falcone, who pulled off another strong save.

Overall, it was a first half low on excitement, with Milan creating the better opportunities but lacking the clinical edge to break the deadlock, while Lecce largely held firm and relied on their goalkeeper to keep them in the match.

The second half brought more intensity and a few moments of real drama, but ultimately AC Milan managed to edge in front and hold firm against Lecce.

In the 50th minute, Lecce nearly found a breakthrough when Mohamed Kaba found space inside the penalty area, only to see his shot brilliantly blocked by a sliding defender. Milan responded soon after, with Pervis Estupinan firing just wide of the right post from the edge of the box in the 56th minute.

The Rossoneri thought they had finally taken the lead on the hour mark. Alexis Saelemaekers orchestrated a fine move before Santiago Tomas Gimenez slotted the ball into the bottom-left corner past Wladimiro Falcone. The celebrations, however, were once again cut short as VAR intervened, ruling the goal out for offside.

Just six minutes later, Milan got their reward. From a well-delivered free-kick, Ruben Loftus-Cheek rose above the defence and powered a header in off the right post, leaving Falcone with no chance and putting Milan 1-0 up in the 66th minute. The goal is HERE!

Youssouf Fofana nearly doubled the lead in the 70th with a thunderous strike from the edge of the area, but Falcone reacted brilliantly to tip it over the bar. Lecce tried to respond, and in the 77th minute Nikola Stulic went one-on-one with Mike Maignan, only to be denied by the Frenchman who saved comfortably.

Milan continued to press, with Samuele Ricci unleashing a strong shot from distance in the 80th minute, but Falcone once again came to Lecce’s rescue with another sharp stop

In the closing stages of the match, AC Milan finally found the breathing room they had been searching for. A loose ball rolled dangerously across the Lecce penalty area, and Christian Pulisic reacted quicker than anyone else. With perfect timing, he darted forward, set himself, and calmly slotted a low shot into the bottom-left corner. You can see the goal HERE!

In the end, Milan managed to secure their first victory of the new season, lifting their spirits after the setback in the opening round.

SERIE A - MATCHDAY 2

Friday

Cremonese - Sassuolo 3-2 (2-0)

/Teracciano 37, Vazquez 39, De Luca 90 +3 pen -  Pinamonti 63, Berardi 73 pen/

Lecce - Milan 0-2 (0-0)

/Loftus-Cheek 66, Pulisic 86/

Saturday

18.30: (2.50) Bologna (3.15) Como (3.00)

18.30: (3.60) Parma (3.45) Atalanta (2.05)

20.45: (1.35) Napoli (4.90) Cagliari (9.50)

20.45: (5.00) Pisa (3.50) Roma (1.75)

Sunday

18.30: (4.20) Genoa (3.35) Juventus (1.95)

18.30: (3.05) Torino (3.15) Fiorentina (2.45)

20.45: (1.35) Inter (4.90) Udinese (9.50)

20.45: (1.50) Lazio (4.20) Verona (6.75)

***odds are subject to change***