7 hours ago
2
AC Milan got their 2025-26 season off to the ideal start as they beat Bari 2-0 in the Coppa Italian round of 32 at San Siro on Sunday night.
Rafael Leao was the man who took the acclaim of scoring the first goal of the new campaign, heading home emphatically from a Fikayo Tomori cross before then being forced off with what looked like a calf muscle issue.
Christian Pulisic was the player who got the second goal early in the second half, linking up nicely with Santiago Gimenez. There was a run-out for a couple of new signings too in Luka Modric and Ardon Jashari off the bench, and it was a case of job well done.
Massimiliano Allegri named his first competitive starting line-up since 2014, and he chose to start the new signings Pervis Estupinan and Samuele Ricci. It certainly looked like a three-man defence on paper, given the presence of Tomori, Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic.
Milan started the game well on top, zipping the ball around with some nice crisp passing. Youssouf Fofana was close to getting the first goal of the season when a recycled cross landed at his feet on the half-volley, though the goalkeeper Cerofolini just about kept it out.
The pressure continued in the opening 10 minutes, and Rafael Leao wasn’t far away from getting on the end of Alexis Saelemaekers’ pass in behind, though it was cut out just as he was going to pull the trigger.
In the 14th minute, the first goal of Allegri’s second reign came and it was through Leao. The rather unlikely supplier was Fikayo Tomori who whipped in a beautiful cross from a right-back position, which the Portuguese forward headed in powerfully.
However, there was a worrying moment after the goal went in as Leao complained of a calf problem and was forced off. His replacement was Santiago Gimenez.
Milan came close to doubling their lead just before the midway point of the first half. A nice ball infield found Ruben Loftus-Cheek in stride and the midfielder saw a low shot deflect just wide of the near post.
The chances kept coming and Christian Pulisic perhaps should have had his first of the season when an excellent high press yielded a turnover deep in Bari territory. His attempt looped onto the bar having seemingly taken a deflection but the referee disagreed.
The Rossoneri were inches away from scoring what would have been a wonderful team goal. Having played out of the press excellently down the right side, the ball ended up being spread to Pulisic who got onto his left foot and hit the bar with a rising shot.
It was all one-way traffic, and Fofana was again close to scoring with a curling shot from around 20 yards out that just didn’t quite creep inside the far post. Moments after that, Cerofolini denied the Frenchman again, this time from an effort that was going in.
Mike Maignan was called into action for the first time in the 39th minute, and it was a brilliant save to deny Sibilli’s shot that was flying into the top corner.
At the other end, Milan briefly thought that they had taken a two-goal lead four minutes before the break as Gimenez tapped in Estupinan’s low cross, however the flag instantly went up for offside and it was the right call.
It took Milan just 140 seconds from the restart to double their advantage. A Bari give-away in their own half allowed Gimenez to find Christian Pulisic with a give-and-go. The American was waiting inside the box for a cut-back from the Mexican, taking a touch and burying it inside the right post.
Bari had few moments in the opening hour where they threatened, and Pagano’s 25-yard shot flying over the bar summed up their evening to that point.
Saelemaekers was the latest Milan player to try his luck in the 57th minute, cutting inside onto his left foot and lashing an effort just wide of the upright, though it did take a small deflection.
A few minutes after the hour mark, a triple change was made. Luka Modric, Yunus Musah and Ardon Jashari were the ones who came on, with Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek and Ricci the ones coming off.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, a nice bit of interplay between Fofana and Saelemaekers saw the latter let fly from range, yet the shot was always rising over the bar. Moments later, Modric twisted and turned inside the box, but shot at the goalkeeper.
The final change of the evening came with 10 minutes remaining, as Saelemaekers was withdrawn in place of Noah Okafor.
The last big chance of the night fell to Modric, who was in space on the right side of the box but chose unselfishly to try and cut it back for a tap-in rather than to shoot himself.
English (US) ·