AC Milan 1-0 Girona: Leao’s winner sends the Rossoneri into the top eight | OneFootball

AC Milan climbed into the top eight places in the Champions League table for the first time as they beat Girona 1-0 at San Siro on Wednesday night.

The only goal of the game came late in the first half through Rafael Leao as he showed one of the few bits of composure in the game, collecting a pass from Ismael Bennacer and hammering a shot into the roof of the net from inside the box.

Girona certainly had their moments to get level in the game but Milan too missed chances to make it an easier evening for themselves. The main thing though was to get the three points and a clean sheet, the first under Sergio Conceicao.

The result means a fifth consecutive win in the Champions League, and sixth spot in the table claimed. It is likely that a draw against Dinamo Zagreb will be enough to seal direct qualification for the last 16.

Conceicao made a couple of changes to the starting line-up from the team that were beaten by Juventus on Saturday, with Strahinja Pavlovic replacing the suspended Fikayo Tomori, and Alvaro Morata returning to lead the line.

However, Conceicao was forced into a change just a couple of minutes into the game as Emerson Royal pulled up after chasing Gil for a ball down the right flank. He needed to be withdrawn, with Davide Calabria coming on in his place.

There was another moment of panic a few minutes later when Tijjani Reijnders went down in a heap having had the wind knocked out of him, yet thankfully he was able to get up and carry on.

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The Dutchman drew the first save of the game from Gazzaniga after Rafael Leao had been brought down just outside the edge of the box. His curling free-kick beat the wall and was palmed around the post for a corner. Not long after, Leao spun and fired a low shot that that was also parried wide.

Milan had another big chance during frantic opening exchanges when Leao pinged a ball out to the right where Yunus Musah had made a run in behind. He brought the ball down well and evaded a slide, yet chose to try and square it when he had only the goalkeeper in his way.

Theo Hernandez could hardly have had a better chance presented to him than what he did in the 24th minute, with Leao again marauding down the left and checking back before laying it on a plate for his flankmate, who somehow scuffed his effort onto the bar and over.

After having passed up a shot earlier in the half, Musah decided to let fly from about 20 yards out and his low drive rattled the inside of the post and somehow stayed out. Up at the other end, Mike Maignan made a great stop to deny Van de Beek after he wriggled free in the box and was bearing down on goal.

With 37 minutes on the clock, Milan got the goal that their pressure had suggested was coming. The creation of the goal all came from Ismael Bennacer, who initiated a counter-press and won the ball back in midfield, sliding the Portuguese winger through on goal. He looked to have overplayed it a bit, but jinked back onto his left foot and hammered it into the roof of the net from deep inside the box.

Girona pushed for a leveller before the break and they nearly got one but for another smart low stop from Maignan. Herrera had found space to turn inside and poke a shot towards goal, though the goalkeeper was equal to it.

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Milan had the first chance of the second half and Leao perhaps should have doubled his tally for the night when he received a pass from Reijnders and hit it first time with some bend, though straight into the arms of the goalkeeper.

After a dangerous couple of ricochets during a period of pressure for the away side, Theo had the freedom of Milano to line up and unleash a shot in space on the left side of the box after a counter-attack, yet he lashed it into the side netting showing his lack of confidence in front of goal.

Girona thought that they had levelled with a stunning goal from Gil, who cut in from the right onto his left foot and curled a beautiful shot inside the far post. However, the offside flag went up and the VAR check upheld the call, even though he was at most a couple of inches off.

Just after the hour mark Conceicao made a second change, with Morata making way for Tammy Abraham in a like-for-like change up front. Just a couple of minutes after the change, Leao hooked a powerful shot just wide of the left post.

In the 75th minute, a double substitution was made with Bennacer and Reijnders making way for Filippo Terracciano and Christian Pulisic, who predictably got a warm reception.