MILAN (ITALPRESS) – Milan suffered, but found their first Champions League win of the season thanks to a 3-1 victory inflicted on Bruges. It was Pulisic’s goal and a double from Reijnders that gave the team the three points. There would also have been room for the second record of the night signed by Camarda, but his goal was disallowed for offside and so the 16-year-old Rossoneri talent must console himself with a debut that allows him to become the youngest Italian to make his debut in Europe’s top competition. The match begins with the Curva Sud in silence in protest against the club for the ticket price, deemed too exorbitant, set ahead of the home league match with Juventus. After only two minutes, it takes a footwork intervention by Maignan to bar the way for Tzolis. A new mishandled ball in the middle of the field leads Tzolis to a shot on the turn at 7′, with Maignan still forced to make a diving save. Moments later, Ordonez hits the crossbar with a powerful right-footer from long distance. On 31′, the French goalkeeper is forced to put his foot down to save on Jutgla, served into the box at the end of a quick restart. After a nightmarish start, Fonseca’s men took the lead in 34′. Pulisic kicked a return corner from the left, the ball was untouched by no one and slotted into the back of the net after being just grazed first by Morata and then by Gabbia. The goal is awarded to the American. A further twist comes in 39′, when the Var calls the referee back for a bad foul committed by Onyedika with a hammer foot on Reijnders, sanctioned with a red card after reviewing the action. The first half ended 1-0. Despite numerical superiority, the 7-time European champions approached the second half poorly and conceded 1-1 at 6′. Newcomer Vetlesen worked a good ball into the box and served the other new face Sabbe, who with a precise right-footed flat run beat Maignan for the equalizer. On the quarter-hour mark, Fonseca takes off Leao by inserting Okafor who, after a handful of seconds, immediately puts his hand on his side’s new lead. The Swiss took the ball on the left, skipped past Sabbe dryly and served an assist in tow on which Reijnders pounced, who slipped a left-footed shot past Mignolet for 2-1. On 26′, a photocopied play leads to 3-1. Chukwueze sprints down the right, and gives a perfect backward pass on which Reijnders again ventures, who beats Mignolet for 3-1. On the half-hour mark, the San Siro crowd welcomed with an ovation the entrance of 16-year-old Camarda, who became the youngest Italian ever to make his Champions League debut. Three minutes from the end, the very young talent from the nursery even scores with a close-range header, but his and the whole stadium’s cheers of joy are broken by the offside flag signaled by the referee after Var intervention. No dice for the 16-year-old, just a whisker away from becoming the youngest scorer in the history of the competition. In the final, the result would not change again. The Rossoneri, now on 3 points in the standings, will return to the pitch on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 9 p.m. in the den of Real Madrid.- Photo Ipa Agency -(ITALPRESS)
