AC Milan suffered a painful defeat on home turf, falling 0-2 to Benfica on matchday one of the UEFA Europa League league phase. At a San Siro expecting a home win, it was the Portuguese side who struck first and knew how to manage the advantage until the final whistle, taking all three points with a display of efficiency.
How the match went
Milan came out looking to impose their conditions from the start, but barely 11 minutes had passed when Strahinja Pavlovic picked up the match's first yellow card, an early sign that things would not be straightforward for the hosts.
Territorial dominance ended up being almost total for the rossoneri, who closed out the match with 61% possession and a notable edge in shots and corners. However, the football that mattered inside the box tilted in the visitors' favor, as they made the most of their chances with a clinical edge that the Italians lacked over the 90 minutes.
Benfica, more disciplined in defense and lethal at key moments, managed the result with intelligence, relying on a compact block that withstood Milan's offensive push without any major scares on the scoreboard.
Goals and key moments
The first blow came in the 16th minute, when Dodi Lukébakio made it 0-1 and silenced the home crowd in one of the early stretches of the match.
Before that, in the 26th minute, Souffian El Karouani had already been booked, and in the 37th minute it was Jhon Durán who received a yellow card, showing the intensity with which Benfica were defending their lead.
At the start of the second half, following the changes Milan made at halftime with the introductions of Christian Pulisic and Mario Gila, Benfica struck again. In the 53rd minute, Jakub Kaminski extended the lead to 0-2, a goal that practically sealed the outcome of the match.
Milan tried to react with the introductions of Diego Moreira, Alexis Saelemaekers and later Adrien Rabiot, but they could not break down the Portuguese side's defensive resistance. Benfica, for their part, kept picking up bookings throughout the second half, with yellow cards for Daniel Banjaqui, Leandro Barreiro and, deep into stoppage time, for Vangelis Pavlidis, who had come on a few minutes earlier.
The numbers
The statistics reflect a match of contrasts: Milan dominated possession by a wide margin (61% to 40%) and generated more overall volume of play, with 17 shots to Benfica's 11 and a lopsided 10-1 edge in corners in their favor.
However, in the stat that truly matters, shots on target were level at 4 apiece, confirming that Benfica were far more precise with the chances they had.
The Portuguese side also showed themselves to be more committed in disciplinary terms, racking up 5 yellow cards compared to the single one shown to Milan, in addition to registering 3 offsides. In terms of saves, Benfica's goalkeeper had more effective work to do, with 4 stops compared to the 2 made by the rossoneri's keeper.
How the standings look
With this result, Benfica get off to a strong start in the Europa League league phase, picking up their first 3 points and sitting in second place in the overall standings, with a goal difference of +2 thanks to the 2-0 win at San Siro.
The blow is a hard one for AC Milan, who are left pointless after their first outing and drop to 34th place in the standings, with a goal difference of -2. The European calendar has only just begun, but the home stumble forces the rossoneri to correct course as soon as possible if they want to be in the fight for qualification spots.
Our take
Our reading of the match is that Milan paid dearly for their lack of finishing on a night when volume of play was not enough against a rival that knew how to be surgical with its two clearest chances. Dominating the ball and piling up corners does little good if it doesn't translate into goals, and that was precisely the big difference between the two sides.
Benfica, for their part, showed the image of a mature and pragmatic team, capable of suffering when the opponent pushed but also of striking at just the right moments. The accumulation of bookings could be a warning sign for the future, but on this occasion it did not affect the final result.
For Milan, the message is clear: in a competition as demanding as the Europa League, effectiveness in front of goal will be decisive, and this first home stumble leaves little room for error for the rest of the league phase.
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