Milan unlocks with Pulisic and Reijnders, record-breaking night (with regret) for Camarda
Champions League, Milan-Club Brugge 3-1
After losing the first two games of the European season against Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, Milan unlocked its Champions League ranking by winning 2-1 against Club Brugge at San Siro, thanking the talent of Christian Pulisic and the concreteness of Tijjani Reijnders, decisive for the first three points won in the new edition of the top European competition.
The tactical canvas è clear already from the opening minutes: Milan relies on ball possession, the Belgians on the restarts and a rather aggressive approach, so much so that in the first 23' two yellow cards arrive already, to Seys and Jashari. In the 34th minute, the match was unblocked: Christian Pulisic drew a perfect parabola directly from the crossbar, Mignolet was mocked and the Olympic goal è served: è the 1-0.
Five minutes before the end of the first half comes another turning point: violent clash between Onyedika and Reijnders, after the on-field review comes the verdict of referee Zwayer, who expels the Nigerian. So it goes to halftime on 1-0 for Milan, which can enjoy numerical superiority.
In spite of the extra man, the Nerazzurri equalizer came as a surprise in the 51st minute: aided by a reviewable defensive phase, Sabbe had time to receive Vetlesen’s pass in the box and finish into the net, with a motionless Maignan who could only see the ball go in. Sull'1-1 Milan has to regroup and at 60' Fonseca inserts Okafor and Chukwueze in place of Loftus-Cheek and Rafael Leao, who leaves the field not too happy.
Very few seconds after the two changes, Okafor è already decisive: è his, in fact, the low pass from the left that finds Reijnders free to finish first from inside the area, for the 2-1 Rossoneri that gives a sigh of relief to the fans after the lurching minutes. Ten minutes later also came the 3-1, with very similar modalities: this time the assist è by Chukwueze, but è again Reijnders’ flat-footed shot made sure the ball went into the net.
In the final, the pace dropped, but it is worth mentioning the entrance of Francesco Camarda, who on 75'took over from Morata (along with Musah who entered in place of Fofana) and became the youngest Italian, at 16 years and 226 days, to make his Champions League debut, beating the record previously belonging to Moise Kean, who was 41 days older when he made his debut in the main European competition with the Juventus jersey.
It was precisely Camarda who ate his hands at the 87th minute: è splendid his header that would have made it 4-1, if there had not been an irregular position on the part of the young striker, who went sì on the scoreboard, but for the yellow card following the jubilation, during which he had taken off his jersey. Had the goal been valid, Camarda would have been the youngest scorer in Champions League history: the record, for now, remains the preserve of Ansu Fati (17 years and 40 days).
At the triple whistle è however, 3-1 for Milan against Club Brugge: first 3 points in the standings for the Rossoneri, who join the Belgians in the standings. Next European engagement on November 5, in the den of Real Madrid led by a former particularly beloved in the Rossoneri, Carlo Ancelotti.
