An intense 5-3 aggregate victory over Rennes, who continued fighting until the very end, allowed AC Milan to advance to the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League. However, Milan had to overcome three scares in order to achieve this triumph.
Rennes won the match by a score of 3-2, but they were always in a difficult position because they had given up in a humiliating manner in the first leg at the San Siro. Therefore, they were unable to overcome the two-goal deficit that they needed to overcome in order to go within striking distance of a last-gasp equalizer.
Despite the fact that Milan remained in the game and equalized twice, within 11 and five minutes of the first two goals, Benjamin Bourigeaud scored a magnificent hat-trick, which comprised two penalties that were taken very well and a wonderful opening from outside the box.
In spite of the fact that Rennes eventually prevailed and at least given some reward to their home fans, who created an atmosphere that was absolutely remarkable throughout the entirety of the game, Milan’s seasoned minds prevailed, and they were grateful to Mike Maignan for making a series of crucial saves.
Luka Jovic took advantage of his opportunity to play in front of the net in place of Olivier Giroud, while Rafael Leao, who is known to be a bit hesitant when it comes to scoring goals, scored his second goal of the match. This was just desserts for a remarkable collective performance in both legs.
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