Goals: 36. Ismaël Bennacer, 59. Christian Pulisic, 74. Tijjani Reijnders, 83. Rafael Leão, 87. Christian Pulisic – 63. Nahitan Nández
AC Milan broke an unflattering streak of six competitive duels without a win when they beat Cagliari 5-1 in the 36th round of Serie A. Algerian midfielder Ismaël Bennacer was the first to score his first goal of the season at the unusually quiet San Siro, followed by three other teammates after switching sides. The Rossoblu, who had to do without the injured Jakub Jankt, significantly complicated the rescue mission, as their lead in the relegation zone is still three points.
Claudio Ranieri’s men stepped up to stay in the top Italian league for next season. In the last match, they fought for a point against Lecce, while playing the entire second half with only 10 players due to the suspension of Gianluca Gaetano. Thanks to five unbeaten runs in the last six duels, they gained a three-point lead over the relegation zone. Now Cagliari headed to the famous San Siro to face AC Milan, who finished the rest of the season confident of qualifying for the Champions League.
The Milanese, despite the recent unconvincing results, were the favorites for the duel, also thanks to the Rossoblu’s unflattering away record, where they have won once so far. The Rossoneri, at an unusually quiet San Siro, controlled the ball from the opening seconds, but apart from Alessandro Florenzi’s bouncing shot, failed to create a clear chance. The first strike came out of the blue in the 36th minute, when Samuel Chukwueze’s attempt bounced off the goalkeeper conveniently onto the boots of Bennacer, who, with a bit of luck, cleared the ball into the half-open goal.
Coach Stefano Pioli was probably not satisfied with his team’s performance and sent three new faces into the second half. And it was substitute Rafael Leao who could have increased his club’s lead right at the end of the half, but he was unable to aim accurately at great speed and the crossbar rang behind Simon Scuffet. The Portuguese winger got his taste just before the hour mark, when he addressed a precise penetrating pass to Pulisic, who took the ball excellently on the run and added a second notch with the help of the left stick. However, the Milanese did not enjoy the two-goal lead for long. Shortly afterwards, Nahitan Nández put his foot in Gabriele Zappa’s perfect cross and the visitors reduced the deficit. However, in the 74th minute, Tijjani Reijnders dashed the guests’ hopes of gaining points with a beautiful shot from outside the penalty area. In the end, the Rossoblu footballers were dealt the final blows after a separate raid by Leao and Pulisic, who scored for the second time.
Cagliari, after losing on the field of the favorite, still faces a difficult fight for retention. In the next match, they head to the stadium of penultimate Sassuolo on May 19, AC Milan will present themselves on the same day in Turin.
