ROTTERDAM (HOLLAND) (ITALPRESS) – A dull Milan side lacking ideas came to a halt in the torrential downpour in Rotterdam against Feyenoord, victorious with merit 1-0 in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs. It was a duck by Maignan early on that effectively gifted the winning goal to the rivals, who thus go into next week’s return match with confidence. After only three minutes, Paixao picked up the ball from the right, went to the left side and kicked weakly at the first post but the French goalkeeper clumsily let the ball slip through his fingers, with the rivals thus signing the 1-0 lead. The guests felt the blow and the red and whites seemed to travel at double speed. Conceicao’s men fail to sting and risk at 36′, when Paixao tries again with a right-footed shot from distance that chips the crossbar and ends high. A few minutes later, a ball lost in the offensive zone by the Dutch triggers a Rossoneri counterattack with Leao entering the box but falling asleep before finishing, getting his shot back by Read. The first half ended with a well-deserved lead for the hosts. At the start of the second half, the music does not change. Maignan and his teammates’ first flare-up comes only in 25′, when Reijnders tries to adjust the ball on the right side with an elegant dribble and kicks a full neck from the limit, but the ball ends up high. At 38′, former duty player Gimenez leaves the field amid the applause and chants of what was his audience until a few days ago, at the end of a not unforgettable test. The seven-time European champions’ onslaught materialized only in 43′, when Wellenreuther managed to block a low shot from the edge of the area by Joao Felix. The result would not change again. Next Tuesday, at 6:45 p.m., Milan will try to overturn the result at the San Siro to try to enter the Champions League round of 16.- Photo Ipa Agency -(ITALPRESS).
