Although they made 10 changes to the starting XI that beat Sampdoria at the weekend, Milan got the job done by beating Sparta Praha 1-0 on Thursday night.
The result – with Celtic’s simultaneous win over Lille – means that Milan top Group H and will in theory now get an easier draw in the Round of 32.
Here are some of the key stats from the game, sourced from the club’s official website…
➤ March 1993 was the last time that Milan went unbeaten in 18 consecutive away matches across all competitions (the side made it to 20 then).
➤ Including the preliminary rounds, Milan are unbeaten in five consecutive European away matches (three wins, two draws) for the first time since December 2011.
➤ Not since facing Crotone in September had Milan kept an away clean sheet.
➤ Sparta Praha are the side who Milan have faced the most times in the main European competitions without losing a single match (six wins, two draws).
➤ This is the second time that Milan have won the group in the Europa League (the first time was 2017-18).
➤ For the first time in history, Milan started a match with four players born after 1/1/2000 (Colombo, Maldini, Kalulu, Tonali).
➤ Including the preliminary rounds, Hauge has had eight goal involvements (six goals and two assists) in eight Europa League appearances. Jens Petter is also the Milan player with the most goal involvements (three goals and one assist) in this Europa League group.
➤ Of all the current players in Serie A, Jens Petter Hauge (born 1999) is the youngest player with at least four goals scored across all competitions in the 2020-21 season.
