Christian Pulisic and Santiago Gimenez led AC Milan to a decisive 3-1 victory against Bologna at home on Friday, which not only maintained their fragile hopes of finishing in the top four but also prepared them for a thrilling matchup in the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday.
With the win, Milan moved up to eighth place with 60 points, three points behind fourth-place Juventus, who will play sixth-place Lazio on Saturday, also with 63 points. With 62 points, Bologna is in sixth place.
The game served as an exciting warm-up for Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final, which will see the two teams play again at Rome’s famous Stadio Olimpico.
Milan’s victory gives them 22 points from losing positions this season; in the big five European leagues, only Atletico Madrid has more points, with 23.
Milan got a injury issue early in the game when defender Fikayo Tomori took a harsh knock and tumbled into the back of a Bologna player. The English defender was taken off the field after seeming to be very lightheaded and appeared to be struggling with a potential head injury.
The home team had the advantage in the first half because of chances from Pulisic and Luka Jovic, but they failed to score. Bologna remained a threat on the counter, but neither team scored as the half began.
Bologna’s lead was taken four minutes after the half by Riccardo Orsolini who made it up for all the missed opportunities before. He cut in from the right and fired a low shot into the corner.
In the 73rd minute, Milan equalized through a goal from Gimenez, who calmly and precisely tapped home after latching onto a deflected ball from Pulisic and going unmarked in the box.
With 11 minutes left, Pulisic finished Milan’s comeback by taking advantage of a blocked shot that landed in his way, and Gimenez scored Milan’s third goal in dead time.
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