Milan-Benfica 0-1: goal by Lukébakio in the 16th minute on the first day of the Europa League

Milan-Benfica 0-1 LIVE on the pitch for the first day of the Europa League championship phase

GOAL

At 16' Milan-Benfica 0-1- Dodi Lukébakio's goal

The formations

Many new lineups for Milan against Benfica at San Siro, in the return match in Europe after more than 500 days since the last match. As per the rumors from the day before, Rubén Amorim chose Ramos as striker but supported by Hutchinson, debuting from the 1st minute, and Cisse. Pulisic therefore out. Midfield four with Chukwueze, Musah, Jashari and Bartesaghi. At least initially, Moreira remains on the bench, the player who scored the brace that earned the draw against Lazio, and above all Luka Modric. There are also many new features in defence, with Filippo Terracciano alongside De Winter and Pavlovic. Marco Silva, Benfica coach, also thought about the big championship match against Porto in his lineup choices. Pavlidis, already in double figures in goals at the start of the championship, starts from the bench. In attack the Portuguese therefore rely on Lukebakio, Sudakov, Schjelderup, with Duran as the point.

THE EVE

Winning is Milan's only objective: Ruben Amorim reiterates this several times on the eve of their debut in the Europa League. The Rossoneri team returns to breathe the air of continental football 574 days after the last match - against Feyenoord in February 2025 - and Amorim does not adopt pre-tactics, nor a low profile. In fact, he raises the bar even further: "Our goal is to get to the bottom, there are many competitive teams. The difference is being able to count on a squad worthy of the name. The effort must be everyone's. We are Milan, there is no minimum objective. If you don't win, you are criticized. You have to win every match to avoid criticism." His Milan's first international test is also a clash with his past. The Rossoneri face Benfica, who saw Amorim with his boots on, saw Gonçalo Ramos grow. There was also the possibility that the Portuguese would decide to sit on the Benfica bench this summer.

"I had decided to stop for a moment. I would have said no to the Portuguese clubs, but when Milan called me I couldn't refuse. It's the most important decision and the one I'm happiest with. The match against Benfica is a fundamental occasion. We can't wait to get started. It's a match that is a symbol of European football. Rui Costa is the president of Benfica, I have a past with Benfica as a player, Gonçalo too", he says. After the match against Lazio, Milan must take action. Some training choices were not convincing. Amorim knows it. He doesn't want to talk about individuals, but there are decisions to be made. Luka Modric probably won't be in the match, although obviously it's not a failure.

"I won't draw any hasty conclusions about Luka's performance. To start with, because he has already won the Ballon d'Or and I know how much he is worth, and then I know that every match has its own story. I don't know if he will play - explains the coach - but Luka is an important player in our team who will help us throughout the season. So I don't make definitive judgments on the players from week to week: I know what they are worth and I try to manage the moment of each of them. After the match against Lazio I made my evaluations We played a different second half compared to the first, but it's not a question of individuals or three-four names but of everyone's attitude." Hutchinson could make his debut as a starter, a large turnover is also not excluded with many big names on the bench from Rabiot to Pulisic and even Moreira after the brace. Experiments or gambles, we'll see it from the field. Meanwhile, Milan returns to live European nights, in the hope of returning to the Champions League.