Milan-Rennes 3-0 LIVE
for the first leg of the Europa League playoffs
GOAL
At 53' MILAN-Rennes 3-0 -
Leao brings the home team's score to three
At 48' MILAN-Rennes 2-0
- Loftus-Cheek again, a brace for him this evening
At 32' MILAN-Rennes 1-0
- Rossoneri ahead through Loftus-Cheek
Photo story Europa League: Milan beat Rennes 3-0
RESULTS
CALENDAR
Two foil shots, before Leao's final 3-0 which knocks out Rennes and secures passage to the Europa League round of 16.
It is no coincidence that Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the lunges that skewer the French play-off rivals, come from him: the effectiveness is that of a D'Artagnan, on an evening that would have been too obvious to compare to the three musketeers from beyond the Alps that Pioli deploys at the start, is that it will end with a round victory that reconciles the Rossoneri with Europe and confirms that Milan have found themselves.
From the most French of the Italians - the Milan of captain Theo Hernandez and Mike Maignan - the script of the first leg of the playoffs had assigned the announced protagonist role to Messieur Giroud
.
For him, 700 club matches and the first career goal to Mandanda, Rennes goalkeeper, 24 years ago.
But San Siro is not Dumas and a different story is told in the Europa League.
The blows that decide the match come from the hand of Loftus-Cheek, the only one with Giroud to have already won the Europa League, in 2019 with Sarri's Chelsea.
Pioli puts his own spin on it, relying on a known script from the start: compared to the starters with Napoli, he deploys Florenzi for the injured Calabria and changes the midfield with Reijnders and Musah for Adli and Bennacer.
The Bretons, seventh in Ligue 1, arrive in 7,000 at San Siro, bringing with them 8 victories in their last 8 outings.
Milan - Rennes
This is also why Milan immediately thinks about attacking the match and after a handful of minutes they could already find themselves in front: Kjaer cuts the field with a ball that Leao adjusts with his chest, sinking it into the area, where his touch is deflected onto the crossbar by Omari.
He pushes, Milan, and also does so on the other flank with Loftus-Cheek, when Musah is anticipated in the area.
The house menu often offers flank changes, cuts by Leao who starts wide and sinks centrally, or the elastic of Loftus-Cheek with Giroud for descents into space on the right-hander
.
After 20 minutes, the 5 Rossoneri corners tell a good story of which area of the pitch is the most popular.
But it is at that moment that Bourigeaud controls it to the limit and places it just beyond the far post, where not even Maignan could have reached.
Instead, Florenzi manages to find the head of Loftus-Cheek in the 32nd minute, doing well to extend it and slam it into the base of the post for the lead: it's 1-0.
Milan - Rennes
Milan uses their head, not slowing down the pace.
Use your head, Loftus-Cheek, to do an encore: Theo's corner at the start of the second half, Mandanda clears a shot from Kjaer and Pioli's 8 dives for the second.
Rennes are on the ropes and Milan show no mercy: Pulisic's interdiction, Leao's heel tap for the American and a double triangle that ends with the Portuguese letting it slip past Bourigeaud and making a three with his right foot
.
Thiaw is back on the pitch, Pulisic and Okafor also try on Mandanda's rebound, Bennacer on a free kick, then Gouri and Santamaria on the other side.
But the 3-0 remains the same and it is from the Rohazon Park track in Rennes that they will take off towards the round of 16, Thursday 22nd. Destination Dublin and a competition that an Italian has never managed to make her own.
Even earlier, on Sunday evening, Palladino's Monza.
Present in the stands and aware of how much this Milan have regained confidence in their abilities.
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