Milan’s first defeat of the Amorim era arrived on a European night that exposed the work still facing the new coach. Benfica won at San Siro in the Rossoneri’s opening Europa League match, with Lukebakio and Kaminski scoring the goals that decided the contest.
The result was more than an isolated setback. After two months of work under Amorim, Milan were left confronting familiar questions about balance, defensive reliability and whether the current approach is delivering quickly enough.
Quick facts
- Milan lost at home to Benfica in their first Europa League fixture under Ruben Amorim.
- Lukebakio and Kaminski scored for Benfica.
- It was Milan’s first defeat since Amorim took charge.
- Amorim said he is prepared to alter the team’s system in pursuit of results.
- Fabio Capello urged Milan to adapt their football to the players available.
Amorim faced an intense post-match discussion in the Sky Sport studio, where Alessandro Costacurta, Paolo Di Canio, Alessandro Florenzi and Paolo Condò examined Milan’s display. The Portuguese coach answered the criticism calmly, a composure that was noted by those questioning him.
Capello delivered the sharpest challenge, asking why Milan were concentrating on attacking ideas when “the defence is leaking from every side.” It was a direct assessment of a side beaten at home and unable to contain Benfica at key moments.
Amorim did not dismiss the concern. He explained that a coach needs an initial reference point, but accepted that Milan cannot become tied to one framework if the results do not follow.
“Sometimes I have to start from a base,” Amorim said. “We have had two months of work. We lost today, but we will look for ways to change, because it is right to have a working base, but then you have to bring home results.”
The willingness to revisit the system offers an important line for Milan’s next chapter. The season will not be defined by one Europa League defeat, but the loss to Benfica has accelerated the debate around what this squad can sustain and what it still lacks.
Capello’s response placed the issue in simpler terms. The former Milan coach used a winemaking comparison: a team must make the appropriate wine from the grapes at its disposal, rather than attempting to produce champagne with unsuitable ingredients.
For Amorim, that is now the central task. Milan have a base, but after their first reverse under the new coach, the next Sunday afternoons and European evenings will show whether that base can be reshaped into a team capable of collecting the results the club expects.
