2 hours ago
42
After their win against Como, it seemed AC Milan might return to old habits with a struggle against Lecce. However, it did not end that way.
The first half saw Milan attack, but nothing really went their way, as they failed to get ahead on the scoresheet. However, the side improved in the second half, and more chances were created, but there were still issues with scoring.
It was all looking rather frustrating, but in the 76th minute, after a good assist from Alexis Saelemaekers, it was Niclas Fullkrug to open the scoring.
The German striker did exactly what he was brought to do, imposing his presence in the penalty area and getting a goal in a very crucial moment.
Here are five things we learned from the game.
1. That’s his job
Fullkrug started on the bench, but he didn’t need much time after coming on to impact the game. He had one proper chance, and he took it. Which resulted in the Rossoneri grabbing the crucial points in the title race.
This is exactly what the striker was brought to do.
Milan have struggled against teams in the bottom half of the table, and against low blocks specifically, because they lacked such a physical striker in the penalty box. Fullkrug seems to have solved that problem.
Hopefully, the West Ham loanee continues to find form and more playing time as he is proving to be quite impactful thus far. Especially considering he is unlucky to have only made his first contribution now.
2. Saelemaekers crucial once again
The Belgian started the season really well, but his form dipped towards the end of 2025 and his role shifted to a more defensive one, rather than attacking as much. He was still working really hard, but not necessarily making an impact in the opponent’s half.
However, against Lecce, Saelemaekers had a crucial role going forward; he provided lots of creativity in the final third with smart dribbles and passes to create chances for himself and his teammates, which eventually resulted in the assist for the winner.
It’s nice to see the wing-back being impactful in both phases of the game, and hopefully, he continues to do so, especially now when there will be a target man in the box.
3. Clean sheet, at last
There have been some impressive defensive performances by the Diavolo this season. Recently, though, they have struggled to keep a clean sheet. Specifically, it has been against sides in the bottom half of the table, unsurprisingly enough.
Having said that, Allegri needed to solve that puzzle, considering these games might decide where his team ends the season. Against Lecce, we didn’t really see any danger to Maignan, which was refreshing to see.
What was even more refreshing was Koni De Winter’s performance, which was probably one of the best, if not the best, in red and black. This builds on top of his solid performance against Como.
After some very questionable displays earlier in the season, it might be time to acknowledge the fact that the Belgian might be an asset after all, especially given his age of just 23 years.
4. Promising by Jashari
Ardon Jashari was one of the biggest summer signings, but he unfortunately got injured at the start of the season, and whilst recovered now, he is not in his best shape yet. Having said that, against Lecce, he was really good. In fact, Sunday was probably his best game to date.
He won several duels, recovering the ball well and shielding the defence, whilst his passing was also good throughout the game. There were moments where we also saw his vision with some interesting through balls. Whilst he can definitely be even bolder, it’s refreshing to see him pick up form and confidence.
His movements also looked sharper as he is clearly getting closer and closer to being at his very best, and that might be just in time as we enter a period with some big games against teams in the top six.
5. Great game management from Allegri
We’ve mentioned before that the coach needs to find a way for his side to collect all three points in games against the bottom-half teams, and whilst it was a close one, Milan did get the job done against Lecce.
The performance was also more dominant compared to some rather frustrating games that come to mind from this season.
Between the 20th and 45th minute, Allegri’s side dropped the tempo quite a bit, but the first 20 minutes were good in terms of intensity and finding the empty spaces. The second half was much better too, with quite a few dangerous situations in front of Lecce’s goal.
It was unfortunate that Pulisic didn’t make use of his big chance, and there were some questionable decisions on a couple of counterattacks, but the team was at least finding the space.
Then, around the 70th minute, the Italian reacted well with his substitutions, as proven by Fullkrug’s goal just three minutes after coming on. Following the goal, Milan managed the game well to see it out, allowing zero chances to the away side.
A near-perfect performance from the coach, indeed.
English (US) ·