AC Milan scores its first goals in CL group to beat PSG 2-1. Donnarumma gets hostile reception
Tue, Nov 7, 2023
Soccer News (AP)
MILAN (AP) - AC Milan scored for the first time in this season's Champions League to beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in a hugely entertaining match on Tuesday and leave Group F wide open.
Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud scored early in each half to help Milan recover from conceding a ninth-minute opener to former Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar and give their team its first group win.
There were chances galore in an end-to-end match played at a breathless pace at San Siro.
Milan, which lost 3-0 at PSG two weeks ago, started the day bottom of its group.
Borussia Dortmund beat Newcastle 2-0 in the other match and now leads the group with seven points. The German team is a point above PSG, two above Milan and three above Newcastle.
The match in Milan marked the first time Gianluigi Donnarumma had played at San Siro since leaving the Rossoneri on a free transfer two years ago and joining PSG. And the Italy goalkeeper got a predictably hostile reception at the stadium where he was once loved.
As well as booing Donnarumma and chanting offensive songs about him, Milan fans had also printed out thousands of fake dollar notes with his face on and the word "Dollarumma."
The noise level ramped up when Donnarumma ran toward the end in front of the hardcore Milan fans at the start of the match and the notes began to rain down in earnest, covering the area around his goal.
Milan should have taken the lead in the sixth minute when Leao skipped down the left and put in a tantalizing cross for an unmarked Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who ballooned over the bar from a good position.
PSG was not so forgiving when the Milan defense was caught napping three minutes later. Marquinhos nodded on a corner and Skriniar, who was left completely unmarked, crouched down to head it in from close range.
However, Milan leveled in impressive fashion just three minutes later. Leao charged down the center of the field and spread the ball to Giroud. His angled drive was parried by Donnarumma but Leao scored the rebound with an acrobatic overhead kick.
Both teams continued to rack up the chances. Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan had to be quick off his line to smother at Kylian Mbappe's feet following a great pass from Ousmane Dembele, who also hit the crossbar in the 27th minute.
Giroud and Leao sent efforts narrowly wide at the other end.
And it was the veteran France forward who gave Milan the lead five minutes into the second half. Leao couldn't get on the end of Christian Pulisic's cross from the left but Theo Hernandez crossed it back in for a towering Giroud header.
Hernandez almost got on the scoresheet himself - against the team his brother Lucas plays for - but his free kick was kept out by a flying save from Donnarumma.
PSG came close to snatching a late equalizer but Lee Kang-in's effort came off the outside of the right post.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
"
