ROSSONERI INTO EUROPA LEAGUE QUARTER‑FINALS
europa league
A spectacle in Prague! AC Milan beat Slavia by three goals to one to deservedly book their ticket for the Europa League quarter-finals. Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek and Leão put qualification beyond doubt in the first half, with Jurasék scoring a late consolation for the hosts. It was a convincing and solid performance in a game made easier by a red card shown to Holeš in the 20th minute. It was a hostile atmosphere and the Rossoneri's game plan was to let the hosts come onto them before striking on the break, without leaving any gaps at the back. And so it turned out.
The hosts' lively start came to an end with the sending-off, which came before the half-hour mark much like in the first leg, and the Rossoneri were ruthless enough to get out to a healthy lead before dictating the game. Pulisic, on the scoresheet for the third game running, continued his rich vein of form, Theo made it double figures for assists this season, while Loftus-Cheek bagged his fourth goal in four games in the Europa League. The quarter-final draw takes place tomorrow, but there's no time to get ahead of ourselves. It's a quick turnaround as, on Sunday afternoon, the Rossoneri travel to Hellas Verona. For now, though, job done!
CHECK OUT THE GALLERY FROM SLAVIA PRAHA v AC MILAN
MATCH REPORT
The match kicked off and the hosts looked to get on the front foot, but it was stop-start in the early exchanges. The first chance fell the way of Chytil, who protected the ball and got a shot away, but Maignan made a fine near-post stop (14'). Six minutes later, the incident that changed the match occurred: Holeš's challenge on Calabria was heavy and, after a VAR review, the referee showed him a red card, leaving Slavia Praha down to ten men. With a numerical advantage, AC Milan went on the attack. Staněk denied Pulisic (28’) and Leão (30'), but a double knockout blow was soon forthcoming. First, Leão rolled it across for Pulisic, who cut inside and steered the ball into the net with his left foot (33’). Then, Loftus-Cheek converted a Theo Hernández assist from close range to make it 2-0 in the 36th minute. Slavia were unable to muster a response and fell further behind in first-half stoppage time as Leão added a third with a fantastic right-footed curling strike. 3-0 at the break.
At the start of the second half, the Rossoneri controlled possession and kept the pressure up, even if they failed to create any real opportunities. Loftus-Cheek had a go from range after 63 minutes, while Giroud was unable to hit the target a minute later. The coaches made changes but the match continued in the same manner: AC Milan were managing it well without putting their foot on the accelerator. Sportiello wasn't troubled by Tomič's shot from distance in the 70th minute, but the Rossoneri goalkeeper was beaten by Jurasék's left-footed finish from Zafeirīs's assist on the 84-minute mark. Giroud had the final opportunity of the game as he called Staněk into action with a header in the 90th minute. It finished 3-1 to the Rossoneri.
MATCH DETAILS
SLAVIA PRAHA 1-3 AC MILAN
SLAVIA PRAHA (4-2-3-1): Staněk; Vlček (46' Tomič), Ogbu, Zima, Zmrzlý; Holeš, Dorley; Douděra (82' Schranz), Provod (82' Jurasék), Wallem (70' Zafeirīs); Chytil (59' Jurečka). Subs: Mandous, Sirotnik; Konečný; Pech, Ševčík; Tijani, van Buren. Coach: Trpišovský.
AC MILAN (4-2-3-1): Maignan (21' Sportiello); Calabria (46' Kalulu), Gabbia, Tomori (1'st Thiaw), Hernández; Adli, Musah; Pulisic (63' Chukwueze), Loftus-Cheek (76' Reijnders), Leão; Giroud. Subs: Nava; Kjær, Terracciano; Bennacer, Reijnders; Jović, Okafor. Coach: Pioli.
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (SWE).
Goals: 33' Pulisic (M), 36' Loftus-Cheek (M), 45'+6 Leão (M), 84' Jurasék (SP).
Booked: 22' Douděra (SP), 24' Trpišovský (SP), 44' Tomori (M), 56' Gabbia (M), 86' Tomič (SP), 89' Leão (M), 89' Dorley (SP).
Sent off: 20' Holeš (SP).
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