ROSSONERI TO HELL AND BACK: 5‑2 VS DUDELANGE

It should have been easier, it could have been easier, it wasn't. The Rossoneri beat Dudelange 5-2 at the San Siro but were on the brink of transforming this night into one not to remember, with a half-an-hour-long Milan blackout that saw the visitors equalise before the break and lead 2-1 early in the second half after Cutrone had scored in the 21' to make things look easy. But as the nightmare was becoming real, the Rossoneri bounced back and eventually put four goals behind Bonnefoi (with two own-goals) to make it five-two. Danger averted, three points in the bag and second place in Europa League Group F to keep Olympiacos at distance, three points behind, with the decisive game to be played in Greece in two weeks time.

THE MATCH REPORT 

Rossoneri start off on the right foot and go close through Higuain who aims just wide firing from the edge of the box in the 6th minute of play before Bonnefoi punches another Pipita shot away to deny the Argentinian striker. Gattuso's men keep pressing and find the equaliser as Cutrone swivels and beats the keeper who fails to hold his grasp onto the ball in the 21st minute. The visitors don't sit back and watch and in equalise with minutes to go to break as Stolz beats Reina with a powerful right-footer to the top corner. The second half begins and it's Dudelange to find another goal as Turpel beats Reina with an accurate shot to the far post. The home team look on the ropes but in the 67' the game changes as Calhangolu's cross finds the decisive deflection from the defender to give Milan the goal for 2-2 that starts the Rossoneri goal-fest: Hakan with a low shot, another own-goal and Borini make it 5-2 in the space of just 10 minutes.

MATCH DETAILS

AC MILAN 5-2 F91 DUDELANGE

AC MILAN (4-4-2): Reina; Calabria, Simic, Zapata, Laxalt; Halilovic (52' Suso), Bakayoko, Bertolacci (58' Mauri), Laxalt; Cutrone (80' Borini), Higuain. Subs: Donnarumma G.; Abate, Rodriguez; Montolivo. Coach: Gennaro Gattuso.

F91 DUDELANGE (3-5-1-1): Bonnefoi; Schnell, Cruz (75' Pokar), Prempeh; Jordanov, Stolz (80' Kenia), Kruska, Couturier, Melisse; Sinani (87' Perez); Turpel. Subs: Esposito; Malget, El Hriti; Agovic. Coach: Dino Toppmoller.

Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (Russia).
Goals: 21' Cutrone (M), 39' Stolz (D), 49' Turpel (D), 66' own-goal Cruz (M), 70' Calhanoglu (M), 77' own-goal Schnell (M), 80' Borini (M).
Booked: 19' Jordanov (D), 60' Zapata (M), 72' Turpel (D), 87' Melisse (D), 87' Simic (M).

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