AC Milan 3-1 Monza: Rossoneri retain Berlusconi Trophy to close out preseason

AC Milan ensured they ended their preseason campaign in the best possible way as they beat Monza 3-1 to retain the Silvio Berlusconi Trophy in front of a big crowd at San Siro.

The opening goal came from a deflected Alexis Saelemaekers rabona, before Daniel Maldini rather predictably equalised before the break. In the second half two substitutes sealed the victory for Milan, with Luka Jovic netting not long after coming on and Tijjani Reijnders scoring with a rocket from long range.

Paulo Fonseca opted to name an interesting starting line-up which featured the likes of Mike Maignan, Rafael Leao and Alvaro Morata, but also Filippo Terracciano, Matteo Gabbia and Yacine Adli.

The game started rather slowly in front of a crowd of over 50,000 people after the new signings were introduced out on the field, and Morata took a whack in the face in the eighth minute that caused some worry as he clutched his nose.

Milan took the lead in the 11th minute of the game and it was Alexis Saelemaekers who got the goal thanks to a stroke of good fortune. A nice pass from Davide Calabria into Ruben Loftus-Cheek saw him flick the ball into he path of the Belgian, whose rabona ricocheted in with the goalkeeper wrong-footed.

A few minutes later it could have been 2-0 to Milan as Leao was very close to opening his preseason account. Saelemaekers stood up a cross from the right flank which found the run of the Portuguese winger, and he met it sweetly with his head yet it nestled just wide of the near left post.

Milan drew a couple of stops from Pizzignacco either side of a cooling break. The first was in the 23rd minute when Leao cut back inside onto his right foot and laced an attempt that was parried clear, then Calabria lifted the ball over the defender inside the box and hit one on the volley that the Monza keeper did well to palm to safety.

Ten minutes before the break, Monza got an equaliser somewhat against the run of play, and rather predictably it was Daniel Maldini who got it. Terracciano was out of position and that allowed Vignato to surge down the right and cut back to Maldini, who slotted home first time.

Moments later the away side could have taken the lead and again the chance came down Milan’s left side. Pereira was the crosser on this occasion, and Maric steered it just wide of the far stick.

Fonseca decided to entirely change the line-up at half-time, with the following XI taking to the field: Torriani; Jimenez, Tomori, Pavlovic, Theo; Bennacer, Reijnders; Chukwueze, Liberali, Okafor; Jovic.

Having changed to the No.9 shirt just yesterday, Luka Jovic got his name on the scoresheet just moments after coming on, just as he had a habit of doing last season. Mattia Liberali’s driving run from the left ended with a curling shot that was fumbled straight into the path of the Serbian, who fired in off the crossbar.

Milan went in search of a comfortable lead and Noah Okafor was denied by a great save having been found by Samuel Chukwueze.

The third goal for the Rossoneri did come before the hour mark, and it was an absolute howitzer of a shot from Tijjani Reijnders. A free-kick was laid off short to the Dutchman 25 yards out, and his fierce rising shot could only be tipped into the roof of the net.

The one-way traffic continued after the third goal, with Liberali drawing another save out of the goalkeeper with a powerful low drive towards the near post after Reijnders had squared to him.

As was perhaps to be expected, the pace of the game dropped in the final 20 minutes or so, with the only real chance of note being Birindelli’s shot that swerved back in towards the centre of goal and drew a great same from Lorenzo Torriani.