Real Madrid vs AC Milan Review
Real Madrid’s recent difficulties continued as they suffered a significant 3-1 defeat to AC Milan at the Santiago Bernabéu in the UEFA Champions League, marking only their second loss in the last 19 encounters with Italian teams. Due to flooding in Valencia, Real had not played since their heavy 4-0 loss to Barcelona in El Clásico. Instead of showing signs of recovery, Los Blancos appeared sluggish from the start, allowing Milan to take the lead within the first 15 minutes. A set-piece was their downfall, as Christian Pulisic’s corner was headed in at the near post by Malick Thiaw, scoring his first goal for the Rossoneri.
The crowd at Bernabéu was eager for a reaction, and once again, Vinícius Júnior delivered. The Brazilian earned a penalty after being fouled by fellow countryman Emerson Royal and confidently converted it himself with a panenka kick, fooling Mike Maignan in the process. It seemed inevitable that Real would take control of the match, but Paulo Fonseca’s team had other plans.
After Tijjani Reijnders was thwarted by Andriy Lunin, the visitors regained the lead. Aurélien Tchouaméni lost possession easily, and Milan capitalized as Rafael Leão’s shot was deflected by Lunin into a dangerous area, where Álvaro Morata quickly reacted to score against his old team.
In response, Carlo Ancelotti made changes at halftime, substituting Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde for Brahim Díaz and Eduardo Camavinga. However, these adjustments had little effect, as Real Madrid continued to struggle in the attacking third while allowing opportunities for the opposition. Lunin once again saved the day shortly after the second half began, making an impressive diving save to keep Leão’s header out of the net.
There were no indications of a typical Real Madrid comeback in the Champions League, and their hopes for a revival were dashed when the Rossoneri scored a third goal. A well-coordinated team play ended with the unstoppable Leão racing down the left flank and passing to Reijnders, who calmly slotted the ball through Lunin’s legs, securing a memorable victory for Milan. Antonio Rüdiger had a late goal disallowed for offside, adding to the disappointment for Madrid, who now need to catch up in their quest for automatic qualification to the last 16.
