Milan-Bruges 3-1: Pulisic and Reijnders give the Rossoneri their first Champions League win

Milan, 22 October 2024 – Arrives within the friendly walls of the San Siro stadium Milan's first Champions League success of the season: the red and blacks they actually beat Bruges 3-1. Despite the final defeat, however, Fonseca's men had to work very hard to get the better of the Belgians, who started with the fifth gear engaged and came close to taking the lead twice with Tzolis and once with Ordonez (who hit the crossbar). Pulisic scored the lead directly from a corner kick in the 34th minute e Onyedika's expulsion for a straight red card However, they seemed to have straightened out the Rossoneri's evening.

Bruges had a different opinion, despite being numerically inferior, they continued to play with personality and in the 50th minute they rebalanced the result with a combination between two new arrivals Vetlesen and Sabbe, who scored the 1-1. It was all over again for Milan, who however did not give up and, thanks to Fonseca's courageous choices, definitively took over the inertia of the match: Okafor and Chukwueze, who came on for Loftus-Cheek and Leao, were in fact decisive with two assists that Reijnders capitalised on to the full, scoring his personal brace.. Finally, there will also be space for the 2008 class Francesco Camarda, who became the youngest Italian to debut in the Champions League and scored in the 88th minute. A joy that was however immediately dampened by the disallowing of the goal for a slight offside by the Rossoneri jewel.

Fonseca and Hayen's choices

In the defensive package in front of Maignan, Gabbia and Theo Hernandez (suspended in the championship) return. The other central defender Tomori and Emerson Royal on the right flank complete the department. In front of the defense, contrary to the indications of the day before, there is not Loftus-Cheek but Reijnders to pair up with Fofana. The Englishman instead goes to compose as usual the trio of attacking midfielders with Pulisic and the returning Leao, in support of the striker Morata. 4-3-3 for Hayen's Clube Bruges: Seys, Mechele, Ordoñez, De Cuyper make up the quartet in defense of the goalkeeper Mignolet. Onyedika and Vanaken are instead the mezzali on the sides of the playmaker Jasahari. Finally, up front, former Skov Olsen remains somewhat surprisingly on the bench and Talbi forms the attacking trident with Jutglà and Tzolis.

First half

The start is definitely one to forget for the Rossoneri, crushed from the first moments of the match by the pressure of a courageous Bruges armed with great personality. Even the preventive trades are a problem for the Rossoneri who risk ending up in apnea after just 2', when Vanaken steals the ball from a too soft Fofana in disengagement and serves Tzolis who flies towards Maignan, forcing him to make a providential save with his foot with a venomous diagonal. The Greek striker's is the first shock that is not enough to reawaken Milan, who are still at risk with Junglà's long-range shot. Even clearer, however, are the second chance to score at the feet of Tzolis, who tries in the 7th minute with a curling shot neutralized with the fingertips of a still decisive Maignan, and the one that happened just 1' later by Ordonez who from 20 meters unleashes a torpedo that hits the crossbar with the blameless Rossoneri goalkeeper beaten. To try to overcome the initial storm, Milan must rely on the first gusts of counterattack from Leao, who tries to relieve the pressure of the Belgians. The first, real attempt by the Rossoneri, however, is by Fofana who from the edge just misses the target. Gabbia's header in the 26th minute was also off target, but not by much. Bruges cashed in and tried again in the 32nd minute with Jutglà, who was stopped again by Maignan's gloves. The Belgian errors began to increase and were paid for dearly. in the 34th minute when Pulisic, directly from a corner, scored the "Olympic goal" and gave the Rossoneri the lead. Fonseca's men, after almost half an hour of great suffering, can thus breathe a big sigh of relief and in the 40th minute a second “sliding door” of the match arrives because Onyedika, after a foul that had initially been called on Reijnders, is sent off with a straight red card following a long VAR check leaving Bruges with ten men and returning to the table with a goal to recover which is certainly too tight for the Belgians, especially given what was seen at the start of the match.

Second half

Given the numerical inferiority, Hayen after the interval takes off Talby and Seys (already cautioned), bringing on Vetlesen and Sabbe. A double move that pays maximum dividends because, after a good start by the Rossoneri, Bruges strikes with a combination of new entries: on the developments of a persistent action, Vetlesen plays a low shot to Sabbe who unleashes a diagonal shot that ends up in the bottom right corner of Maignan's net.. A draw that legitimises what the visiting team produced and certifies Milan's difficulties in expressing themselves despite their numerical superiority. Fonseca then decides to mix things up with the additions of Okafor and Chukwueze for Leao and Loftus-Cheek. As happened with Hayen, the changes made by the Rossoneri coach also prove to be spot on because in the 61st minute, just one minute after his entry, he sends in a low cross from the left, which Reijnders capitalizes by making it 2-1. The goal of the new lead and the newfound freshness on the upper part of the wings suddenly rekindles the verve of Milan who raises the revs of the engine, almost scoring with the header in front of the goal by Okafor. The goal is in the area and in the realization there is the hand of another new entry: In fact, it was Chukwueze who delivered the low cross that Reijnders transformed into his personal brace, putting the ball in the net with a low diagonal shot that nestled into the corner. At 3-1, a historic moment for Milan and Italy arrives: in the 75th minute, Fonseca also throws Musah and Camarda into the fray, who thus becomes the youngest Italian to debut in the Champions League. A historic moment that the 2008 class tries to embellish and make even more indelible in the 88th minute when he heads a cross from Reijnders into the net. However, the scream of the Rossoneri jewel is stifled by the VAR which identifies an offside position of the Milan player. However, the substance does not change because the Rossoneri in the final straight are no longer in danger and bring home their first European victory.

The little table

Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Emerson Royal, Gabbia (from 82' Thiaw), Tomori, Hernandez; Fofana (from 75' Fofana), Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek (Chukwueze from 60'), Leao (Okafor from 60'); Morata (from 75' Camarda). All. Fonseca

Brugge (4-3-3): Mignolet; Seys (from 46' Sabbe), Mechele, Ordoñez, De Cuyper; Onyedika, Jashari (from 83' Nielsen), Vanaken; Talbi (Vetlesen from 46'), Jutglà (Skoras from 70'), Tzolis (Skov Olsen from 70'). All. Hayen

Scorers: Pulisic (34'), Sabbe (50'), Reijnders (61' and 71').

Note - Yellow cards: Seys, Jashari, Leao, Morata, Gabbia, Skoras, Camarda. Red cards: Onyedika (straight red).