Abraham's late goal gives Milan important win

AC Milan had to work hard for their 2-1 win against Crvena Zvezda at the San Siro, securing their fourth consecutive victory in the UEFA Champions League.

Crvena Zvezda arrived in Milan knowing that a win was crucial if they were to have any chance of progressing to the knockout round. However, they were up against a Milan team that also needed three points to confirm their place in the play-offs. While Milan dominated possession, they struggled to create many chances. Tijjani Reijnders had their first shot on target, but it was straight down the middle and didn’t trouble the Crvena Zvezda goalkeeper, Ivan Guteša. Rafael Leão then tested Guteša with a shot, but the goalkeeper stretched his leg just enough to deny the Milan winger.

Crvena Zvezda then had a rare chance of their own, as Andrija Maksimović’s shot from the centre of the box hit the bar. Chances were few and far between in the first half, with Crvena Zvezda doing well to limit Milan’s attacking efforts. Tammy Abraham replaced the injured Álvaro Morata and nearly made an instant impact, but his attempt to guide a cross past Guteša went just wide. Milan finally broke the deadlock just before halftime when a long ball from Youssouf Fofana sailed over the Crvena defence, allowing Leão to control it and fire past Guteša.

Milan

The visitors came out strong in the second half, with Ognjen Mimović and Timi Elšnik forcing two early saves from Milan’s goalkeeper Mike Maignan. Just when it looked like Milan would hold onto their lead, Nemanja Radonjić won the ball outside the box and, after a moment of hesitation, smashed it past Maignan to level the score. AC Milan struggled to hit the target in the second half, with their only notable shot being an effort from Emerson Royal that went straight at Guteša with six minutes to go. However, shortly after, Abraham saw his shot bounce off the crossbar and fall to his feet, and he scrambled the ball over the line to secure the win for Milan.

This victory moved Milan up to 12th in the group stage table, almost guaranteeing their place in the play-off round. Crvena Zvezda, on the other hand, are still mathematically able to progress but now face a five-point gap to the play-off spots with only two games remaining.

Milan
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