Benfica produced a disciplined tactical performance to earn a 2-0 victory against AC Milan at the San Siro, kicking off their UEFA Europa League league phase campaign in impressive fashion while recording their first-ever victory over the Italian club.
The win marked Benfica’s first success against AC Milan in seven head-to-head attempts, bringing an end to a six-game winless streak (D2, L4) against the Rossoneri. The result also condemned AC Milan manager Rúben Amorim to his first competitive defeat of the season against his former club.
Benfica established their authority early in the match, opening the scoring inside the first 15 minutes. Dodi Lukebakio collected possession wide on the right flank, cut inside onto his left foot, and curled a precise effort past the reach of the goalkeeper into the bottom corner.
Building on their early advantage, Marco Silva’s side maintained attacking momentum throughout the first half. They came close to extending their lead shortly after when Georgiy Sudakov unleashed a low 25-yard drive that struck the woodwork. AC Milan, despite an unbeaten four-match run across all competitions leading into the fixture, struggled to break down Benfica’s organized defensive structure before the interval.
Amorim responded at half-time by introducing Christian Pulisic and Mario Gila to inject urgency into Milan’s attack. The changes generated immediate chances, with Koni De Winter lifting a clear opportunity over the crossbar from inside the penalty area.
However, Benfica contained the home team’s response and doubled their advantage against the run of play. Souffian El Karouani delivered a precise cross into the box, allowing Jakub Kaminski to power a high shot into the roof of the net.
AC Milan pressed forward in the closing stages to reduce the deficit, forcing a strong near-post save from Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin to deny Pulisic. Benfica’s backline held firm through final pressure to secure the clean sheet and claim all three points in their European opener.
