MILAN CRUISE TO VICTORY

20 Sep 2025 — 3 min read

AC Milan were dominant from start to finish on Saturday night, as the Rossoneri breezed to a 3-0 success away at Udinese.

Match Overview

Milan were without their regular goalkeeper Mike Maignan (injured), Rafael Leão, and Ardon Jashari.
Christian Pulisic was recalled to the starting XI, along with Strahinja Pavlović.
Udinese’s squad had its own issues: Sandi Lovric was sidelined, and Maduka Okoye remained banned.

AC Milan lined up in a formation that allowed width from wing-backs and heavy pressing in midfield, looking to dominate possession and exploit transitions. Pulisic in particular was given freedom to drift wide and cut in, while Rabiot and Fofana anchored midfield.
AC Milan XI: Terracciano; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Estupinan; Pulisic, Gimenez.
Udinese tried a 4-4-2 with compact lines, hoping to frustrate Milan through discipline and counter-attacks. But the Rossoneri’s movement and pressure made life difficult.
Udinese XI: Sava; Zemura, Solet, Kristensen, Ehizibue; Ekkelenkamp, Karlstrom, Zarraga; Atta; Davis, Bravo.

First Half – Udinese hold off early pressure
- Milan started strongly, with Pulisic testing Udinese keeper Razvan Sava early with a tight-angle shot after a give-and-go with Adrien Rabiot.
- However, Santiago Giménez missed a one-on-one chance around the 19th minute after a lovely through-ball from Pervis Estupiñán. He was well blocked by Sava.
First Goal – Just before half-time
- Milan broke the deadlock a few minutes before the break. Christian Pulisic capitalised on a parried save by Sava — the goalkeeper spilled a cross from Estupiñán, and Pulisic was alert to convert the rebound.
Early Second Half – Milan assert dominance
- Within moments of the restart, Milan doubled their lead. This time it was Youssouf Fofana who scored: pressure from Pulisic forced an error, and Fofana beat Sava in a one-on-one, firing low and hard into the bottom corner.
Pulisic’s Second – Cementing the Win
- The third goal came later in the second half. A pulsating Milan move from their own penalty area resulted in Rabiot sliding a through-ball in to Pulisic on the flank; Pulisic hit a low, first-time finish that squeezed past the keeper, putting the result beyond doubt.
Other Notables
- Udinese had very few clear chances after conceding; Milan managed the game well and were completely dominant.
- Pulisic, despite picking up a knock earlier in the game after taking several heavy challenges, showed composure throughout and thoroughly deserved his brace on the night.

Christian Pulisic: Man of the match. Two goals plus he was instrumental in creating the second. His energy, positioning, and sharpness made a big difference.
Youssouf Fofana: Solid work in midfield, disciplined, and made the right runs. His goal early in the second half was crucial.
Alexis Saelemaekers: Looked like he really enjoyed himself out there tonight, covered every blade of grass once again and tormented Udinese throughout.
Pervis Estupiñán: Provided width and attacking thrust from the left, supplying key passes.
Sava (Udinese GK): Some good saves early, but was beaten three times. The parry that led to Pulisic’s first and some positional issues in the second half cost Udinese.

This win gives Milan three straight victories in Serie A, building momentum in the early stages of the season and catapulting them into the top three. The win puts them just behind their next two league opponents - Napoli and Juventus.
The performance under adverse circumstances (missing key players) will give Allegri confidence in the squad depth. Milan looked resolute once again at the back.
Udinese, unbeaten before this match, now miss a chance to maintain that run. They’ll need to regroup, especially in defence, as lapses proved costly. This was, on paper, a tough game for Milan so to put forward a performance like that was exceptional. For me, the best Milan performance in some time.