A BRACE FOR LONTANI, A PROMISING START FOR THE PRIMAVERA | OneFootball

An ideal start. Milan Primavera kicked off their official 2025/26 season with a 2-1 win away to Lecce. The victory had Simone Lontani's name all over it: the 2008-born striker opened his season's tally with a headed brace between the 58th and 64th minute, converting crosses from Scotti and Cappelletti, standout performers on the day. A tense finale followed, with Milojevic pegging Lecce back and further chances denied by Longoni and Piermarini, but the scoreline remained unchanged.

Plenty of positive signs for coach Renna, who marked his official debut as head coach of the Primavera with three points. The Rossoneri grew into the game as the minutes passed; they held their shape well and looked to build play by involving every player on the pitch. The central defensive pairing of Piermarini and Culotta deserves special recognition, as they both played impressively. The difficult finale will serve as a lesson for the rest of the season, starting with the next round, when we host Sassuolo (at the Sportitalia Village in Carate Brianza) in a rematch of last season's Scudetto Playoffs.

CHECK OUT THE GALLERY FROM LECCE v AC MILAN

MATCH REPORT A lively start saw chances at both ends, with the first effort coming from Lecce: a free-kick from Kovač in the sixth minute that was just over the bar. In the tenth minute, another chance for the hosts as Milojevic tackled Sala, then, played through by Kovač, fired high from a strong position. The Rossoneri grew into possession as the game went on, and after two unthreatening attempts from corners, their first real chance came in the 37th minute with a Bonomi free-kick from the edge of the box that shaved the post to Penev's left. Before the break, Lecce had another opportunity: Kozarac's angled left-foot strike was deflected wide by Piermarini.

The second half began with no changes. In the 50th minute, Lecce wasted a key chance as Lærke fired over from point-blank range, sending the ball over Longoni's bar. Four minutes later, Scotti had a close-range chance from Bonomi's cross, only for Penev to rush out and deny the Rossoneri captain. The goal was moments away, and the breakthrough came in the 58th minute, when Scotti made the most of a poor clearance from Penev and crossed into the middle for Lontani's close-range header to open the scoring. The 2008-born striker struck again in the 64th minute, this time with a header, a fine twisting finish to convert Cappelletti's cross and double the advantage. Scotti almost secured another goal in the 71st minute with a neat turn and strike inside the box, but Penev denied him. However, Lecce were not yet done and pulled one back as the hosts came close to levelling late on, only for Longoni and Piermarini to produce crucial stops before the final whistle sealed a 2-1 AC Milan victory.

MATCH DETAILS

LECCE 1-2 AC MILAN

LECCE (4-3-1-2): Penev; Rashidi, Pacia, Pehlivanov, Kozarac (60' Palmieri); Lærke, Kovač (60' Calame), Nøhr (71' Kodor); Milojevic; Esposito (71' Di Pasquale), Onyemachi (85' Perrone). Subs: Lupo; Basile, Longo; Spinelli; Candido, Persano. Coach: Schipa.

AC MILAN (4-3-3): Longoni; Cappelletti (80' Colombo), Piermarini, Cullotta (73' Pagliei), Perera; Bonomi, Sala, Mancioppi; Scotti, Castiello (80' Di Siena), Lontani. Subs: Bianchi, Doneda; Del Forno; Cissé, La Mantia, Pandolfi; Borsani, Domnitei. Coach: Renna.

Referee: Rossini from Torino. Goals: 58' and 64' Lontani (M), 82' Milojevic (L). Booked: 35' Kozarac (L), 39' Nøhr (L).

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