AC Milan continued their positive start to the new Serie A season, defeating Bologna 1-0 at the San Siro. The victory extends Milan’s unbeaten streak against the Rossoblu at home to 10 matches and marks a successful first home win for manager Massimiliano Allegri in his second stint with the club.
The decisive moment came in the second half from an unlikely hero: veteran midfielder Luka Modric. The 40-year-old, who joined the club from Real Madrid in the summer, both started and finished a move to net his first goal for the club. The goal came in the 61st minute, with Modric meeting a cut-back from Alexis Saelemaekers with a first-time finish to beat goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski.
Milan came into the match looking to build on their first league win of the season against Lecce. They began the game with attacking intent, with Santiago Giménez and Pervis Estupiñan both forcing saves or hitting the woodwork. However, after a bright start, the first half lacked clear-cut opportunities for either side. Bologna thought they had taken the lead when Nicolo Cambiaghi scored, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
In the second half, Milan was more dominant, and the introduction of substitutes helped them control the match. The hosts were dealt a blow when goalkeeper Mike Maignan was forced off with an injury and replaced by Pietro Terracciano. Despite this, Modric’s goal secured the win.
Milan had chances to extend their lead, with Giménez hitting the post when he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Allegri, the Milan coach, was shown a late red card for protesting a VAR decision that overturned a potential late penalty. However, the one goal was all that was needed.
The result means Allegri has now overseen two wins in the first three matches of a Serie A season for the first time in his five campaigns with the club. In contrast, Bologna’s struggles continue as they have now lost five of their last six league matches and have scored just once this season.
