Milan secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Torino, highlighted by a spectacular long-range strike from Strahinja Pavlovic, and Santiago Gimenez made his comeback.
The visitors began with intensity, as Matteo Prati shot over from the edge of the box. Nikola Vlasic then positioned himself ahead of Koni De Winter and Mike Maignan to redirect the Marcus Pedersen ball across the goal’s face.
Maignan deftly fingertipped a looping header from Ardian Ismajli away from under the bar during a corner, while Christian Pulisic and Bartesaghi saw their attempts blocked inside the area.
For Milan, Rabiot unleashed a powerful shot from distance that Albert Paleari dove to deflect, serving as a clear signal for Milan to seize the lead shortly thereafter. Saul Coco nodded a cross precisely to about 25 yards, where Pavlovic controlled it, allowed it to bounce, and struck a powerful left-footed half-volley that hit the underside of the crossbar giving Milan the lead.
Duvan Zapata challenged Maignan at the near post shortly after, while Pavlovic’s goal-line clearance on Pedersen would have been irrelevant, as Simeone was offside on the assist.
Torino equalised just before half-time, as Maignan made a one-handed save on Vlasic’s shot from the edge of the area. The ball took a double ricochet off the upright and his shoulder, allowing Simeone to react swiftly to the loose ball.
Following the restart, Milan displayed a significantly more aggressive approach after transitioning to a four-man defense. Ismajli slid in to block a Pulisic shot, while Bartesaghi’s volley was deflected off target.
The pressure ultimately yielded results as Christian Pulisic delivered a cross from the right, allowing Rabiot to nudge it over the line from close range with his knee. He scored his first goal at San Siro while wearing the Milan jersey.
Shortly after, they increased their lead when Zachary Athekame delivered a precise through ball to Fofana. He skillfully took three touches, maneuvering through a cluster of Torino players, before striking from 13 yards out.
Maignan executed a remarkable reaction save, extending a trailing leg to thwart Simeone’s first-time strike from 12 yards, followed by Cholito having another threatening volley blocked for a corner.
Santiago Gimenez made a significant return after ankle surgery, marking his first appearance since the end of October 2025.
Samuele Ricci came close to scoring against his former club, with Alberto Paleari diving to make a save at the near post. However, prior to that moment, there was an incident that caught the attention of VAR. Pavlovic had pulled back Simeone with an arm across his face and neck within the penalty area, making it evident that, regardless of his ability to reach the ball, it constituted a clear foul.
Nikola Vlasic converted a penalty, placing it into the top corner to bring Torino back into the game.
The Granata submitted additional penalty appeals regarding a Koni De Winter handball, yet the arm was deemed to be in a natural position.
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