AC Milan dominated Stade Rennais in a resounding 3-0 victory in the first leg of their Europa League playoff tie on Friday, February 16.
The Italian giants secured their win through goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Rafael Leao.
Loftus-Cheek opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, brilliantly converting Alessandro Florenzi’s cross with a headed finish. The English midfielder smashed his second goal past the French club’s seasoned goal-keeper, Steve Mandanda, with a diving header just two minutes into the second half after Mandanda parried a previous shot.
Leao solidified Milan’s dominant performance in the 52nd minute by playing a clever one-two with Theo Hernandez to take the score to 3-0.
Speaking after their win, Loftus-Cheek said AC Milan controlled the game and finished the chances they created. The former Chelsea midfielder has scored seven goals and provided two assists in 23 matches across competitions this season.
“It was a good performance from us tonight. We had a lot of possession and control of the game, it was just about finishing the chances that we created,” said Loftus-Cheek.
He went on to say that he is enjoying his time on the pitch, adding that his main focus is to remain injury-free. The 28-year-old struggled with injuries during his time at Chelsea before making a move to Italy in the summer of 2023.
“I always try to enjoy whenever I’m on the pitch. I think the main thing for me this season is being available for games, which is something I haven’t had so much in my career due to injuries but to be able to play is fantastic. To enjoy these moments is what I like to do,” Loftus-Cheek added.
AC Milan were relegated to the Europa League after finishing third in their UEFA Champions League group.
DI MARIA FIRES SL BENFICA TO NARROW WIN
Angel Di Maria was the star-man for SL Benfica as they beat French side Toulouse 2-1 in the Europa League.
The Portuguese side took the lead in the 68th minute, converting from the penalty spot. Toulouse got back in the game with a goal from Mikkel Desler in the 75th minute.
With the game edging towards a stalemate, Benfica were awarded a stoppage-time penalty following sloppy lunge from Christian Mawissa on Marcos Leonardo, which resulted in Mawissa being sent off.
Di Maria stepped up to take the penalty and converted once again to seal the win for his side.
