San Siro’s centenary week was meant to belong to Milan, but Benfica turned the occasion into a Lisbon-coloured European statement, winning 2-0 in the opening round of the 2026-27 UEFA Europa League league phase.
Key takeaways
- Dodi Lukébakio put Benfica ahead in the 16th minute with a forceful left-footed finish.
- Jakub Kaminski doubled the visitors’ advantage eight minutes after half-time from Souffian El Karouani’s cross.
- Anatoliy Trubin made key saves, including stops from Christian Pulisic, to preserve Benfica’s clean sheet.
- Benfica earned their first official victory away to Milan and collected their opening three points of the campaign.
- Milan had previously gone six continental meetings without defeat against Benfica, recording four wins and two draws.
Benfica silence the anniversary stage
The Giuseppe Meazza was marking 100 years of football, yet the evening’s enduring image was Benfica celebrating in front of the travelling support. Marco Silva’s side arrived in Lombardy with a disciplined plan and quickly unsettled a Milan team unable to find fluency in the final third.
Lukébakio supplied the breakthrough after 16 minutes. The Belgian winger struck powerfully with his left foot, giving Benfica the reward for a composed opening and leaving the home side chasing a match that had slipped away early.
Milan attempted to respond before the interval, but their attacks lacked a clear final pass or finish. At the other end, defensive lapses offered Benfica encouragement, while Trubin dealt with the moments when Milan did threaten. The hosts went in at half-time behind to whistles from the stands.
Kaminski completes a landmark away win
Rúben Amorim changed Milan’s personnel after the restart, introducing Christian Pulisic among the players asked to lift the home side. Milan pushed further forward in search of an equaliser, but that ambition also left room behind their defensive line.
Benfica exploited it in the 53rd minute. El Karouani delivered from the flank and Kaminski arrived unmarked in the area to meet the ball first time, sending it into the net for the second goal.
Pulisic tested Trubin as Milan tried to force a route back into the contest, but the Ukrainian goalkeeper stood firm. There was no late revival, only a sobering result for the Rossoneri on a ceremonial week at their historic ground.
For Benfica, the final whistle confirmed a first official win on Milan soil against the Italian club, overturning a continental record that had previously heavily favoured the hosts. The Portuguese side leave northern Italy with three points and an early marker in the Europa League, while Milan begin their European campaign under considerable scrutiny.
