AC Milan beat Lecce at San Siro 3-0 in a Coppa Italia match.
In the first 45 minutes of the match, Lecce hardly got out of their own half, especially in the opening stages, and then went down to ten men after Siebert was shown a straight red. Despite countless chances, Milan struggled to score. Mexican forward Gimenez broke through in the 21st minute on a Bartesaghi assist, but both Nkunku and Rabiot hit the woodwork. Here is how the second half of Milan-Lecce in the Coppa Italia unfolded.
The second half started with Fofana replacing Ricci, who had been booked earlier for a foul on Camarda. Almost immediately, Loftus-Cheek struck the post with a powerful effort, Milan’s third of the night. Soon after, Fofana played a fine ball to Nkunku, but he fired over. Another chance followed with Tomori crossing for Gimenez at the near post, but he was shut down. In the 51st minute Milan finally struck again: from the ensuing corner, Saelemaekers delivered a perfect cross and Nkunku scored his first goal for Milan with a half-overhead kick. A brilliant finish, followed by a collective celebration. Milan kept pouring into Lecce’s box without pause.
Lecce sat even deeper to protect themselves. Athekame and Pulisic came on for the exhausted Saelemaekers and Nkunku, with San Siro giving both players a standing ovation. Pulisic made an instant impact, scoring in the 64th minute with clever movement at the far post. Fofana crossed from the right and set him up perfectly. Gimenez then left the field for Balentien, greeted by applause from the crowd. Milan struck the woodwork yet again when Pulisic’s cross was deflected. The Rossoneri controlled possession and pushed for a fourth goal.
In the 78th minute Odogu made his Milan debut as he replaced Strahinja Pavlovic. The final minutes were about managing the game, with Milan no longer forcing the issue. The win takes Milan through to the Coppa Italia round of 16 where they will face Lazio. On Sunday, Napoli come to San Siro in a league match that already carries weight, as pointed out by PianetaMilan.it.
