AC Milan secured their fourth straight victory in the Champions League with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Crvena Zvezda, despite facing a series of injury challenges. Goals from Rafael Leao and a late tap-in by Tammy Abraham ensured the Rossoneri continued their impressive run in Europe.
Having rebounded from a rocky start to the tournament, including a victory over Real Madrid, Milan entered this match following a disappointing defeat to Atalanta in Serie A. The team was missing several key players due to injuries, including Christian Pulisic, Noah Okafor, Alessandro Florenzi, Ismael Bennacer, and Luka Jovic. Ruben Loftus-Cheek filled in the trequartista role as the team sought to maintain their momentum.
Crvena Zvezda had previously suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Inter Milan earlier in the competition but found form with a recent 5-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart. Notable absentees for the Serbian side included Omri Glazer and Peter Olayinka, while former Milan midfielder Rade Krunic and ex-Torino winger Nemanja Radonjic were on hand.
The match began with Tijjani Reijnders testing the Crvena Zvezda goalkeeper from distance, but it was Rafael Leao who came close shortly after, forcing a save with an angled drive. However, Milan nearly fell behind when Andrija Maksimovic struck the crossbar after a series of defensive lapses.
Disaster struck for Milan when both Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Alvaro Morata were forced off due to injury within a minute of each other. Tammy Abraham entered the fray and almost made an immediate impact with a header that went off target.
Milan finally broke the deadlock with a moment of brilliance from Rafael Leao, who latched onto a perfectly weighted pass from Youssouf Fofana. Leao controlled the ball expertly before slotting it past the onrushing goalkeeper from 15 yards out.
Crvena Zvezda’s goalkeeper Ivan Gutesa made crucial saves just before halftime, denying Abraham from close range and then saving a header from Fofana during a corner kick situation.
After halftime, Crvena Zvezda pushed for an equalizer and found it when Radonjic intercepted a pass from Yunus Musah and unleashed a powerful shot that beat Mike Maignan from outside the box.
Milan struggled to regain control as Crvena Zvezda continued to apply pressure. However, in the dying moments of the match, Milan capitalized on a rebound after Francesco Camarda’s header hit the crossbar, allowing Tammy Abraham to react quickly and score from close range.
Goals: Leao 42 (M), Radonjic 67 (C), Abraham 87 (M)
Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria (83′ Emerson Royal), Gabbia, Thiaw, Theo Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Musah (83′ Camarda), Loftus-Cheek (28′ Chukwueze), Leao; Morata (29′ Abraham). All. Fonseca.
Red Star (4-2-3-1): Gutesa; Mimovic (75′ Kanga), Djiga, Spajic, Seol; Krunic, Elsnik; Silas, Maksimovic (60′ Radonjic), Felicio Milson (46′ Ivanic); Ndiaye (86′ Bruno Duarte).
