Stade Rennais 3-2 AC Milan: Penalty Drama as AC Milan Progress
AC Milan managed to hold off a spirited comeback from Stade Rennais to secure their spot in the UEFA Europa League last 16 with a 5-3 aggregate victory, In a thrilling encounter at Roazhon Park
In an exciting match, AC Milan lost 3-2 to Rennes, but they still advanced to the next round of the UEFA Europa League knockouts. The Serie A giants had to work even harder on Thursday as Rennes mounted a valiant comeback after winning easily 3-0 in the opening leg of the playoff encounter. There were several penalties and several fantastic goals in the game.
In front of a scorching Roazhon Park, AC Milan overcame three scares to advance to the UEFA Europa League last 16. Rennes fought valiantly to the very end. The final score was 5-3 on aggregate.
Rennes won 3-2 on the evening, but they were always going to face difficulties following their embarrassing first-leg loss at the San Siro. They were unable to overcome the two-goal deficit that separated them from a last-gasp equalizer.
Despite Milan’s impressive hat-trick of two goals from beyond the box and two incredibly well-taken penalties by Benjamin Bourigeaud, Milan managed to stay in the game and equalize twice, inside eleven and five minutes of the first two goals.
With a three goal lead, Stefano Pioli benched Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the outstanding player from last week, alongside Giroud. However, with 30 minutes remaining, the Englishman was brought on, demonstrating how the dynamic of the match entirely changed.
Loftus-Cheek might be disappointed that he was unable to demonstrate his abilities to Gareth Southgate, but he might get another chance to do so shortly back home.
Since Liverpool, West Ham, Brighton, and Rangers have already advanced, Milan has a greater than 50% probability of getting a British team in the round of 16. Based on the two legs, Milan poses a threat to any of these teams.
Milan Advances Despite First-Leg Dominance Reversal
After destroying Rennes in the first leg, Milan put on an entirely different show and ensured that their dominance was reflected on the scoreboard.
However, from the first, Rennes was a different team; led by Julien Stephan, who picked an ultra-attacking lineup including five forwards, they were determined to give it their all in an attempt to pull off an incredible comeback against European aristocracy.
The frantic atmosphere was compared to “like they fed the fans raw meat” by TNT analyst Ian Darke, who said that the Roazhon Park supporters were genuinely the 12th man the entire night.
With the exception of a ten-minute span following the Bourigeaud goal, Milan spent the entire evening responding to the host team’s attacks. Rennes sent five players into the front line each time they recovered the ball.
However, they also shown a clinical edge that will enable them to advance far in the competition. Luka Jovic’s goal restored their three-goal lead in the first half when Theo Hernandez teased a brilliantly placed ball over the head of the otherwise excellent Arthur Theate, and Leao was similarly ruthless in his goal-scoring.
Even though Maignan gave up three goals, he was still excellent in goal. In particular, the double-save made by Bourigeaud and Kalimuendo just after Jovic’s goal was crucial in keeping Rennes’ lead intact until it was too late.
Player of the Match
Maignan did heroics, but there could only be one player in this. The two had entertaining standoffs prior to both penalties, but each time Bourigeaud emerged victorious, finding the corner with both attempts even though Maignan had expertly blocked his initial attempt.
However, the midfield player’s opening goal stood out the most. When Bourigeaud did get the ball, he only had one thought in his mind and powered a low shot back across goal to throw the home crowd into even greater frenzy—a scene that did not even seem feasible at kickoff. Bourigeaud glided into space more silently than a NASA astronaut.
