AC MILAN v STADE RENNAIS: THE DEBRIEFING

So far, so good. Our Europa League journey kicked off with a 3-0 victory over Stade Rennais in the knockout round play-offs, a result that puts us well in control of the tie but still leaves us with work to do in the second leg. It was a convincing performance where, rather importantly, we built on our clean sheet against Napoli with another shutout. Let’s take a step back and analyse last night’s first leg.

NO LETTING OUR GUARD DOWN
3-0. A good result, but we also had a few opportunities to add a fourth, something that certainly wouldn’t have harmed us. At the same time, the visitors also could have scored, especially after Leão’s finish to make it 3-0. We’re taking a healthy lead into the second leg, but we shouldn’t rest on our laurels: a goal would quickly rekindle Stade Rennais’ confidence. Let’s keep our guard up, then, and approach the match at Roazhon Park (an 18:45 CET kick-off on Thursday 22 February) with the same focus and determination as we displayed at San Siro.

TWO SIDES TO THE ROSSONERI'S GAME
Quality and muscle. AC Milan showed two sides to their game in the victory at San Siro, combining periods of real quality with moments where they stood up their French opponents and put in the tackles needed to nullify them. This was especially the case in the closing stages, with the substitutes adding energy and Musah making an increasingly bigger impact as the match went on. The Rossoneri picked their moments well, keeping Stade Rennais - with the exception of a couple of opportunities for the away side - comfortably at bay.

A WONDERFUL FINISH
Rafa’s goal was fantastic and similar to the one he scored against Atalanta in the Coppa Italia on 10 January. The same area of the pitch, an assist from the same player (Theo) and another first-time finish. Leão returned to the scoresheet for the first time since bagging against La Dea just over a month ago and, in doing so, found the net for the 50th time in a Rossoneri shirt. He’s been looking for a goal in the past few matches, and it arrived after a fantastic move. The fact that he returned to scoring ways yesterday is great for him, the team and the fans. Not long after his finish - his third goal of 2024 - he was substituted with Monza in mind. He’ll no doubt be ready to make full use of that conserved energy and eager to add to his tally on Sunday. See you then, Rafa.

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