Milan’s European campaign began with a 2-0 home defeat to Benfica, a result that brought whistles from San Siro and handed Ruben Amorim his first loss as Rossoneri coach.
The decision
Benfica left Milan with the first three points of the Europa League league phase after taking control early and punishing two defining moments. Dodi Lukebakio opened the scoring in the 16th minute, cutting inside from the right after Kaminski’s pass had split the home side and placing a left-footed effort into the bottom corner beyond Mike Maignan.
The Portuguese visitors had already made the sharper start. Duran was denied by Koni De Winter after a clever Benfica move, while Lukebakio had tested Maignan before finding the breakthrough. Benfica continued to press their advantage and Georgiy Sudakov struck the post from the edge of the area in the 24th minute.
Milan gradually found more purpose before the interval, with Samuel Chukwueze producing one individual run and Jashari sending a left-footed attempt over the bar. Yet the home side went into the dressing room a goal down and to the sound of discontent from the stands.
Amorim reacted at half-time by introducing Christian Pulisic and Gila for Hutchinson and Terracciano. Milan began the second half with more authority, but De Winter wasted a major chance when he volleyed wide after Cissé’s effort had been blocked.
The match turned decisively in the 53rd minute. A ball intended for Duran, who was offside and did not play it, led Milan’s defence to hesitate. El Karouani recovered possession and returned it into the area, where Kaminski finished from close range under the crossbar. It was a costly lapse at precisely the point when Milan had appeared capable of restoring the contest.
Amorim sent on Moreira and Alexis Saelemaekers shortly afterwards, then introduced Adrien Rabiot for Jashari in the 73rd minute. There were chances to reduce the deficit: Pulisic was denied at the near post by Anatoliy Trubin, Rabiot saw an effort blocked by Araujo, and Trubin made another important save from Pulisic after Saelemaekers created the opening.
The response, however, did not produce the goal Milan needed. Benfica protected their lead and became the first Benfica side to beat Milan at San Siro. Before this meeting, Milan had won four of their six European meetings with the Portuguese club and drawn the other two.
For Benfica, the result also extended a strong Europa League run. They are now unbeaten in 11 league-phase or group-stage matches in the competition, winning eight of those fixtures.
Amorim had made several selection decisions before kick-off. Pulisic and Luka Modric began on the bench, while the Milan coach chose Maignan; F. Terracciano, De Winter and Pavlovic; Chukwueze, Musah, Jashari and Bartesaghi; Hutchinson, Cissé and Gonçalo Ramos.
Benfica, coached by Marco Silva, started with Trubin; D. Banjaqui, T. Araujo, Circati and El Karouani; Joao Palhinha and Aursnes; Lukebakio, Sudakov and Kaminski; with Duran leading the line.
Afterwards, Amorim explained that the changes from the side used against Lazio were shaped by matters beyond public view. He said Rabiot’s readiness had been uncertain, Pulisic had only managed 45 minutes previously and required careful handling, while Moreira had been given two days away because of a personal issue.
“There are things people do not know, and I have to manage all of them,” Amorim said. “I change continually. Sometimes I need to begin from a base, and we have only been working for two months. We lost tonight, but we will look for ways to change because a base is useful only if it leads to results.”
Before the match, Amorim had also defended his rotation policy around Modric. He said no player stood clearly above the others, that three matches a week made freshness impossible, and that he was selecting what he believed to be the strongest side for each occasion.
He acknowledged the scale of expectation around Milan, saying the group had habits built around a back three and did not yet completely match the demands of his preferred game. “We are building something,” he said. “It will take time. I do not know whether I will have it, but the players are listening and that gives me hope.”
Saelemaekers offered a blunt assessment of the defeat. “We prepared well, but perhaps we lacked mentality and determination on the pitch,” he said. “We will review it calmly with the coach, learn from the mistakes and try not to repeat them. My own position is not important; the group is.”
The evening also carried moments of recognition at San Siro. Rui Costa received applause and chants from the Milan support, while a seat in the main stand was left empty with Franco Baresi’s famous number six shirt placed upon it for Milan’s first international match without him. Antonio Conte, formerly Napoli coach, was among those watching from the stands.
SEO title: Milan 0-2 Benfica: Amorim faces first defeat as Rossoneri coach
SEO description: Benfica won 2-0 at San Siro through Lukebakio and Kaminski as Milan lost their Europa League opener and Ruben Amorim suffered his first defeat in charge.
