AC Milan defeats PSG 2-1 due to player evaluations; Leao and Loftus-Cheek spark a monumental European victory.
Former Inter Milan Skriniar gave PSG an early lead, but Rafael Leao quickly counterbalanced that lead.
However, Milan rallied for a renowned and entertaining victory on the strength of Olivier Giroud’s thunderous header within the second half.
Borussia Dortmund’s earlier-to-day victory in Newcastle United has reduced the gap between the two remaining matchdays between all four teams to three points.
Early on, Ruben Loftus-Cheek blazed a shot past the bar as Milan made a lively start to the game, but ex Inter captain Skriniar gave PSG the early advantage by nodding home an unmarked corner kick.
Yunus Musah, with the goal gaping, missed the opportunity to respond promptly when he shot directly at Gianluigi Donnarumma, but Milan fell behind for the time being.
Donnarumma deflected Giroud’s shot into the air in the twelfth minute, whereupon Leao awaited with an acrobatic attempt to secure the goal for Milan.
As Kylian Mbappe charged towards the goal, and a one-on-one encounter with Mike Maignan appeared certain to result in a goal, the forward mishit and scuffed the ball wide—an error that elicited astonishment from the crowd.
Olivier Giroud drilled through the sidenetting that the opposite end of the field after Ousmane Dembele had smashed the crossbar, as both teams increased the intensity in an all-out first half.
Although it was unsuccessful both teams failed to score another goal before halftime, they made every effort.
Despite Milan adding ten and PSG managing twelve, the crucial score remained tied at the break.
The French forward scored the game-winning goal five minutes to the second half after Theo Hernandez crossed the ball.
Milan Skriniar scored the opening goal for PSG by deflecting in a Marquinhos cross at the back post.
In close proximity, Rafael Leao expeditiously restored parity via an overhead kick subsequent to Giroud’s initial attempt.
With their triumph, Milan, the semi-finalists from the previous season, will still have a chance to advance to the quarterfinal stages on November 28 when they host Dortmund.
The home audience greeted former goalie Gianluigi Donnarumma with scorching applause and threw illegitimate currency during their first encounter at the San Siro since his controversial transfer for PSG two years prior.
This season, Milan vastly improved to their previous Champions League outings, and Hernandez as well as Fikayo Tomori free-kicks forced Donnarumma to make excellent saves.
Olivier Giroud’s momentous 50th-minute header was the deciding factor in Milan’s 2-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, which they avenged a week after suffering a 3-0 loss at the Parc des Princes.
Milan Skriniar initiated the scoring through a header, but Leao’s acrobatic effort quickly nullified it.
Les Parisiens took the lead in the opening half with a frenzy of goal-mouth action, capped by Milan Skriniar’s premature opening strike. The Slovaks smothered Marquinho’s flick-on that the back post following a corner kick by Vitinha.
It was the first goal of a former Inter Milan player over Les Rouge et Bleu as well as the defender’s third in the tournament’s all-time.
Luis Enrique’s squad failed to maintain the advantage for an extended period of time. Following a driven shot from Olivier Giroud, Rafael Leao responded with an extraordinary effort on the rebound that Gianluigi Donnarumma was unable to reach.
It was Milan’s inaugural goal of the UCL season, and it was a match in which they undoubtedly required to establish themselves.