Milan celebrated their first victory of the season with a thrilling 2-0 win against Lecce, despite having two goals disallowed.
In the opening five minutes, Milan centerback Matteo Gabbia had a free header from a Luka Modric corner, but it was disallowed following a VAR review due to a push on Lassana Coulibaly.
During the first half, Pervis Estupinan lost possession of the ball and nearly won a penalty while pursuing Pierotti. In the second half, Ruben Loftus-Cheek had two chances to find the net, but Wladimiro Falcone denied him with two impressive saves—one from a long-range effort and another from a slight touch by Yunus Musah.
Just inside the penalty area, Mohamed Kaba sent his shot flying over the crossbar, while Santiago Gimenez wasted a brilliant chance to score for Milan after triggering the offside trap.
Falcone was able to deflect the ball at the near post with an outstretched leg after Strahinja Pavlovic had extended her full extension and struck the ball towards the byline just before halftime.
Midway through the first half, Gimenez found himself with another chance to score from 12 yards after receiving a pass from Saelemaekers, but his goal was once again ruled out because he was in an offside position. Despite the circumstances, Gimenez celebrated as he lifted teammate Jashari’s jersey, whom he had accidentally injured in a collision during practice.
Gaspar issued a yellow card by referee after the defender surged forward and fouled Saelemakers following an interception of a misplaced pass from Tiago Gabriel.
Loftus-Cheek ultimately secured the lead for Milan with a goal that was well taken following Modric’s free kick. Loftus-Cheek directed a flicked ball from six yards out into the far top corner of the goal.
Shortly after, Youssouf Fofana struck the crossbar from a distance, and then Gimenez’s initial touch let him down after Pavlovic’s impressive dribble across the field. Falcone executed a remarkable one-handed stop.
On the opposite side, Samuele Ricci took a shot at Falcone from a tight angle, while Stulic raced to intercept the cleverly disguised pass from Tete Morente and confronted Maignan at the near post. Stulic missed a golden opportunity when a deflected N’Dri shot unexpectedly fell at his feet.
In a mere 20 seconds, Milan seized an opportunity presented by a fortunate turn of events. Following Gaspar and Danilo Veiga’s unsuccessful attempt at a long kick from Maignan, the ball found its way to Pulisic, who eagerly took advantage of the opportunity to score.
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