Tomori, Giroud and Pulisic

AC Milan 2-1 PSG: Giroud secures crucial comeback victory in the Champions League

AC Milan came from behind to beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday night to secure what was an absolutely crucial three points.

It was a poor start for the Rossoneri as Milan Skriniar headed the away team in front inside 10 minutes, but goals from Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud meant that Milan got the points they deserved for a really impressive display.

There was a fast start to the game from both teams with sights of goal coming within the first 10 minutes at both ends. Ruben Loftus-Cheek should have done better with a shooting opportunity, and he was swiftly made to pay for it.

PSG went down the other end and a flick-on from Warren Zaire-Emery was met at the far post by Milan Skriniar in acres of space. The former Inter defender stooped low to head in, having completely evaded the marking of Loftus-Cheek.

There still weren’t 15 minutes on the clock when Milan managed to get themselves level. Olivier Giroud was released in the left channel and his low shot was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma. It only flew up into the air, though, and it was Rafael Leao who reacted first with a great overhead kick that found the back of the net from very close range.

That seemed to give Milan the energy needed to take the game to the away side. More half-chances were created, but the threat of PSG was still extremely clear.

It was a game of many chances and down at one end, Ousmane Dembele’s shot from range pinged back off of the crossbar before Loftus-Cheek broke and found Giroud in the box who saw his shot hit the side netting.

Milan continued to come close to a second goal and after half an hour, a free-kick from range by Fikayo Tomori forced a save out of Donnarumma, albeit one he would be expected to make.

It was starting to feel a bit like the Newcastle game earlier in the group stage, with Milan creating chance after chance. It was Leao next, who cut inside from the left and hit a low shot just wide of the near post.

The second half started with a very similar pace to the first and this time, it was Milan who grabbed the early goal and got themselves in front.

A cross from Pulisic evaded Leao and it seemed that the attack had fizzled out. Theo Hernandez thought otherwise as he whipped the ball into the box and Giroud climbed highest against Skriniar to head Milan into a 2-1 lead.

Naturally, losing the lead led to Luis Enrique readying some substitutes and Goncalo Ramos and Lee Kang-in quickly looked ready to be introduced. With half an hour to play, Kolo Muani, Vitinha and Manuel Ugarte were taken off for Ramos, Kang-in and Fabian Ruiz.

Whilst PSG are a team that always poses a very serious threat, the changes did not make much of an immediate change to PSG and their threat level.

Mbappe did start to get on the ball more and more as the game wore on, but it was clear that the Rossoneri could counter very effectively if the ball were to drop right.

With just 10 minutes left to play, Milan looked like a team that backed themselves to defend the lead until the end of the game. The yellow cards were racking up for the away team and Skriniar got one for hacking Leao down when he was making his way towards goal.

Having been kicked by multiple defenders, Leao was taken off with five minutes to play for Noah Okafor. The Swiss forward almost scored immediately with his first two touches of the game. His low shot forced a good save out of Donnarumma. He also had another shot from the resultant corner that went over.

There was the occasional reminder that the points were not secure, such as when Lee Kang-in saw a low shot saved at the near post by Mike Maignan in the 89th minute.

There was bad news at the end of the game for Milan as Pulisic seemed to pull up with a hamstring injury. He could not continue, so Alessandro Florenzi was introduced.

The win takes Milan to third in the group with five points. Newcastle are below on four, whilst Borussia Dortmund and PSG have seven and six respectively. With two games to play, Milan’s fate is not sealed yet.

Tags AC Milan Champions League Olivier Giroud PSG Rafael Leao

62 Comments

    1. It is clear that Krunic should start!!

      When ever Pioli employes common sense we get a great result, in which multi-verse is Krunic better then Adli!!!

      Hope RLC can stay fit, him Tijani and Bencer is what we NEED!!

      1. I don’t know if I can say the same thing about Adli tho. His passing is good and all but clearly he’s lacking something (defensive trait) if he wants to keep that DM post. I prefer this current set up which more like 4231 at times. Until we have Isma back.

      2. It should be Krunic should NOT start, epic fail by me will have to go to sleep with the shame that I said Krunic! Should start!!!, forgive me fellow milanista

  1. In the end, the players and the coach did prove that they have pride.
    We can nitpick some mistakes here and there, but overall, a very good game that keeps our hopes alive.
    Please don’t screw up against BVB and Newcastle.
    Pleanse don’t make this just a one hit wonder.

      1. I agree, you can clearly tell that the game was won by the players’ unwavering determination and the enthusiastic support of the home crowd.

        Sadly, however, it’s likely that the American ownership will further solidify their commitment to Pioli based on this result and ignore all the glaring problems we still have.

        1. Pioli will be judged at the end of the season. Europe is where the money comes from, so it all depends on how far we get in Europe.

      2. I disagree. The team was tactically disciplined. The second half was actually better, the players were well positionned, maintained a good shape and shut down psg most of the time.
        You can’t deny the coach’s contribution in this scenario.

        1. Precisely. If we blame him on losses on how he sets up the team we should also praise him for setting up the team in big wins like this

  2. RLC the BULL

    Everyone did their assignment so well.

    Shout out to Calabria and Reinders and Tomori, the trio did well to curtail Mpape.

  3. This is probably one of Milan best match this season. Everyone played like nuts.

    I just hope Pulisic is okay.

    Anyway. Great result.

  4. I have not seen such an exciting game for quite some time. Leao was superb! But, I must repeat again, RLC was something else, as if he had ingested some magic potion before the game. He was winning every battle, was superb in holdup play and getting away from tight spaces, he ran like a Mustang and was toying with PSG players, overpowering them and out running them. I have not seen such a phenomenal performance from our midfield player in recent memory.

    1. Just like last season when he single handedly toyed our best mid Sandro – Isma. That’s where our interest in him manifested. Again, let’s hope he can keep himself healthy.

  5. I am literally crying, man. Such a good performance from our boys. Loftus Cheek dropped a 10/10 performance, he deserves all the praise. Everyone played their part today, that’s what we are as a club. My respect for Calabria is increasing by day, he has been crucial in uniting the team and did a very good job against Mbappé. Leao with the redemption arc, today his defensive work was so good, this is what we wanted to see from him. I also think this was a 4231 rather than a 433. This is our best squad, we will miss Musah in the Dortmund game, I also hope the pulisic injury is not that serious.

  6. Well I think I was one of only three guys before the game who said we could win this. We always step it up in these big games and no one on here seems to have cottoned on to that yet. We bossed Juve and Napoli just a week ago and were unlucky to win in those two games thanks to a sending off and injuries. But all of a sudden the exact same team/coach has supposedly gone from outplaying these teams to becoming absolute horse sh*t overnight. #piolioutbecausedezerbiwouldvescored6tonight

    1. It’s part of the Pioli’s ‘magic’ and it’s not just this season only. Everytime he’s hanging by a thin thread, somehow we win in the most unlikely situation. Just like when we won against Napoli last season. Just hope that this win will turn the face our recent bad spell.

      1. I agree to a certain extent. Nobody’s saying he’s the best coach in the world but I do find it odd that 90% of people on here want him gone at the start of the season (scrap that, in PRE-SEASON) after we lost Maldini and Ibra as reference points for the players. Now everyone wants to get rid of the last person all the young guys look up to, bar maybe Florenzi and Kjaer.

        And some goofball on here said the other day “It’s clear the players have stopped playing for Pioli.” I give up.

      1. I wasn’t confident but I definitely thought we could do it. I knew the boys would be fired up beyond belief and with RLC back who we’ve missed like crazy the midfield would have its balls back.

        1. RLC (and Pulisic) were two of the signings this summer that I was 100% supportive of.

          RLC is the player we have missed since we lost Kessie, and he could be better. He certainly did a lot better for us in the Champions League than Kessie!

          1. Pulisic and RLC if we can keep them fit are both top class. But Considering our fitness and medical departments track record, I don’t have much hope. Pulisic went down holding the back of his thigh

  7. Brilliant .
    What a performance,,,Rafeo leao was the man of the match ,,not far behind him was Loftus cheek .
    Great goal from my man Olivier Giroud,,a class header and overall a good performance from him ..
    Reindeers very poor indeed ,,I just don’t rate ,,him .
    Pulisic not a good performance from him ..and injured yet again .Our defence superb ….so so pleased ..so pleased for our manager pioli .
    We can beat Dortmund…

    1. Reijnders has play almost every single match. He needs a break. Now that RLC is back he will be able to get it. Until Bennacer comes back, RLC-Musah-Reijnders is our strongest midfield trio.

  8. Incredible RLC, on beast mode. Clear mvp. Calabria was also fantastic, CBs as well.
    So enjoyable to see Leao following back and tackling.
    Reijders has to improve, I don’t know if it’s bad form or that this is just his ceiling.

  9. What a game, at least I can sleep happily now. All the players and coach are amazing, I own RLC a bottle of champagne. Well done boys.

  10. Great game against one of the top sides in Europe. Really top notch team performance on defense, and some great display on offense as well (even though we were sometimes too nervous on the ball).

    Special props goes to Pioli who really prepared our midfield defensively, with Reijnders and Calabria doing an excellent job on Mbappe from minute 15 or so. RLC was amazing in many minutes, in both phases of the match, and really made the difference between our and their midfield. And Mussah was relentless as usual.

    And of couse Leao with his MVP performance, showing again he can do defense if it’s in the CL spot light. Everything is now wide open, in all competitions. Great great job by the boys

  11. This is the Milan we all know… I can’t fault any Milan player tonight and I can say Pioli did well in holding back with the substitution. RLC Aand the whole team played very very well.

  12. Amazing game! Congratz to everyone. Now need to win against Dortmund and Newcastle.
    But I claim the game management was still poor. Who did not see Pulisic needs to be subed? Everyone. Why not to bring Florenzi or Chuku 10 min earlier? Its just beyond me. Pioli does not believe his own players. Such a coward.

  13. Pioli had to screw it anyway, taking all life to take out Pulisic when at least 20 minutes before he was wandering the pitch. Chucky should have entered earlier and this would be completely different.

    Reijnders is completely gassed. The guy needs rest like shEEt. Tomori a beast and Calabria played well. I am one of the most criticals of the captain, but today he had a difficult task and with Tomori’s help (another beast) he was excellent.

    And my last paragraph is for RLC who is the key player in our midfield. If he stays healthy, we are a different team

    1. Reijnders definitely needs rest, as does Musah. i’d bring Adli back in for Reijnders and unfrtunately play Krunic at the 6 with RLC on the Left to give Musah rest this weekend. Chuk on the LW.

      Hope Puli just has a cramp.

  14. Credit where credit is due. Pioli got it right tonight. From the starting lineup, to not pursuing a suicidal press, to the subs, to motivating the team to fight for the win, to the positioning of the players on the pitch, often moving between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1. Good job.

    Credit where credit is due. Donnarumma made two world class saves on Theo and Okafor to keep PSG in the game under very difficult circumstances for him.

    And now we see how important RLC is to our midfield. His physicality and ball control was sorely needed. Musah had another great game. He is a future champion. Too bad he’s out for Dortmund as we’ll probably have to deal with Krunic.

    1. Good point about Donna, we must be fair, he was great today. If not for him we would have another goal.
      BTW, how on earth Skriniar finished the game?? He should have seen red card, referee gifted him.

  15. Ruben showed how important he is to our style of play, the trio should be starting every match, Excellent performance from our captain and Tijjani for keeping Mbappe in check they did their assignments well. Leao with the stunner once again. Excellent performance all round, Forza Milan

    1. Yes, that save on Okafor was insane. The ball was basically behind him when he got the tips of his fingers on it for the deviation. That. should. have. been. a. goal.

  16. Great performance and result.

    This is what football is all about.

    A few tough weeks and then back on top of the world again. Hopefully we can build on this.

    We’re in shooting distance in a very difficult Champions League group and third in the league. If we have had our season dip (as most teams have) then we could be really onto something.

  17. Donnarumma today, bar from the first goal where he was clueless and reacted really bad. The goal he took away from Okafor was world class

  18. What a group this has proven to be.
    7, 6, 5, 4 points.

    I bashed Pioli a lot for not playing with a 4-3-3 last season which I thought suited the players at his disposal better. He stubbornly stuck with the 4-2-3-1. Fast forward to summer Mercato, and with much say delegated to Pioli, he’s signing players for a 4-3-3. I mean why not use the opportunity to tune your team to your favoured 4-2-3-1.?

    Now I’m just waiting for the ‘5 things we learned’. Cos I hope Pioli learnt the one thing he needs to learn all season, PLAY YOUR FAVOURED 4-2-3-1. !! Daammnn !!

  19. Excellent win – inspired football till the end. Desperation played a part but that’s ok. Excellent all around. Now we have a chance.

    Looks like switching back to the double pivot/4-2-3-1 is the answer to unlock Leao and RLC as an ACM – both were devastating. We should keep this formation and enough of the 4-3-3. The lads looked much more comfortable esp Calabria and Theo. Excellent win. Hope we can build off this.

    1. I think it should be situational. A team with this set of players should be able to transition from one to the other in-game, and also from game to game depending on the opponent. The idea of the 4-3-3 is obviously one of increasing defensive solidity. It’s clear that the 4-2-3-1 works best against teams who have also come to play, like PSG, and not so much against low blocks like Juventus, Inter, Roma, etc., who are then able to counter through the middle when we’re overloading the flanks. So it’s on Pioli to bring the flexibility, which he has had trouble with, only reacting when we’re in a crisis.

  20. It’s sad that RLC is so injury prone (and that our physical team is so bad), because physically he is a monster. You could feel how important he is on the field.

  21. It was clearly a switch back to a 4-2-3-1, reid just needs to acclamatise, all in all, wasnt a great performance from him and not a poor one either, he did well spreading the ball and was ok in the defensive duties given that his attacking runs were limited due to psg counter offensive prowess. RLC definitely should occupy the AM position, the hold-up from him far surpassed that of calhanoglu who was the last true AM we’ve had in the pioli era, big up for the gaffa for todays masterpiece in attacking football, gr8 match

  22. `beautiful, just beautiful!!
    That was a performance!

    I would still say we should be killing games instead of suffering such pressure.
    Okafor did great after coming on.
    I’m a little frustrated Pioli didn’t bring on fresh legs earlier, like Okafor and Chucky, especially when it was clear we would have loads of space on the counter. A better team may have equalised.

    Anyway stellar performance by Calabria ( please no more hate on here for him, this was Mbappe!)
    Also Tomori and Thiaw!
    Leao Bravo – I love to see you try harder
    RLC – immense, the player we missed
    Musah – what a dynamic young man, love him!
    Reijnders – statement performance, un genio
    Giroud – respect
    Theo/Pulisic – can do better
    Mike – you help me sleep at night!!

    Bravo regazzi!!

  23. I wasn’t sure what we’d see after they gave up the goal but they faced adversity and kept their wits about them.

    Bravo to them. It was pretty fantastic to see such a good performance!

  24. Love it love love it 🤩😀😀😀
    The guys did so well.. ecstatic
    Change in formation and the way they played their hearts out. I could hv never predicted it
    Now that we’re in with a shot. Let’s go!!!

  25. I was out getting hammered so didn’t watch.
    Usually when i do that they win..it’s good waking up with a hangover to see a win

  26. Reijnders ha bajado un poco su nivel, creo que es necesario un descanso antes de que se lesione, lo que corre cada partido es una locura, hoy junto con Calabria han controlado a Mbappé, lo cual se dice fácil, ojalá que Pioli le dé descanso, hoy ha sido una noche de esas que el Milan conoce en la UCL… Forza Milan… Sempre Milan

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