Amorim's Milan beat Manchester United 4-2 in Wroclaw pre-season friendly
AC Milan scored three goals in a 13 to 14-minute second-half spell to beat Manchester United 4-2 in Wroclaw, Poland, giving Ruben Amorim his first win against the club that sacked him in January.
Amorim gets his first Milan win against the club that sacked him
AC Milan beat Manchester United 4-2 in their final pre-season friendly on Saturday, 15 August, at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland, giving coach Ruben Amorim his first win since taking over the Italian club. Amorim was sacked by Manchester United in January and replaced by Michael Carrick. The result turned on a 13 to 14-minute second-half spell in which Milan scored three times to overturn a 2-1 deficit.
Tense opening and a disputed penalty
The match was fractious from the opening whistle. After barely a minute, a heavy tackle by Milan midfielder Yunus Musah provoked Harry Maguire, who charged at the American and triggered a confrontation that Polish referee Szymon Marciniak had to defuse. United went ahead at 2 minutes when Maguire headed in a Bruno Fernandes corner. Milan levelled at 37 minutes, when Jashari played in Goncalo Ramos, who freed Samuel Chukwueze for a close-range finish. Fernandes then had a penalty saved by Lorenzo Torriani in the 42nd or 44th minute, his second consecutive miss from the spot after a shootout failure against Leeds United three days earlier. Fernandes also had a goal disallowed during the Leeds encounter. The penalty decision was controversial, conceded by Belgian defender De Winter after a defensive error by Pavlovic, with Milan players surrounding Marciniak in protest.
- Musah tackle sparks confrontation with Maguire, calmed by referee Marciniak
- Maguire heads in Fernandes corner, United lead 0-1
- Chukwueze finishes from Ramos assist, 1-1
- Fernandes penalty saved by Torriani
- Dorgu scores after Terracciano error, 1-2
- Cisse taps in Chukwueze cross, 2-2
- Ramos heads in Chukwueze cross, 3-2
- Loftus-Cheek beats Lammens at near post, 4-2
Second-half turnaround
Patrick Dorgu put United back in front at 51 minutes after a defensive error by Terracciano. Milan responded through Alphadjo Cisse at the 57th or 58th minute, tapping in a low cross from Chukwueze at the far post. Cisse appeared offside but was given too much space regardless. Ramos headed in Chukwueze's cross at 68 minutes for his first goal in a Milan shirt, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek completed the scoring at the 71st or 72nd minute, sprinting clear of Lisandro Martinez and beating goalkeeper Senne Lammens at the near post. Milan repeatedly opened up United down the right flank, even accounting for the fitness-focused nature of the match.
Standout performances
Chukwueze delivered a goal and two assists, earning a match rating of 8 from Il Messaggero. The winger, who spent last season on loan at Fulham, was involved in three of Milan's four goals. Ramos, rated 7.5, marked his Milan debut with a goal and an assist. Torriani received a 7 for his penalty save. United's defensive vulnerabilities were exposed repeatedly, with Luke Shaw backing off Chukwueze in the build-up to the 2-2 goal. Diogo Dalot, another former Amorim player at United, came on in the second half.
- Chukwueze
- 8 /10
- Goncalo Ramos
- 7.5 /10
- Torriani
- 7 /10
Looking ahead
Carrick made six substitutions after Milan's second equalizer, introducing Lisandro Martinez for his first pre-season appearance. Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford also returned for their first pre-season minutes. Rashford had a previously strained relationship with Amorim during their time together at United. Milan secured their first victory of the summer with this fixture. United travel to Hull City next weekend for their Premier League opener, while Milan begin their Serie A campaign on 22 August.
