AC Milan Revive European Aspirations with Dominant Victory Over Udinese

AC Milan secured a commanding 4-0 triumph over Udinese at Stadio Friuli, bringing an end to a three-match winless streak and handing the hosts their third consecutive Serie A loss to Milan, a feat not seen since 2008.

Udinese had a stroke of luck early on, narrowly escaping a deficit when a defensive blunder allowed Tijjani Reijnders a prime opportunity to score just a minute into the match.

Unfortunately for Milan, the midfielder couldn’t quite get the better of Maduka Okoye, who registered a crucial save to keep the game level at such an early stage.

On the other end, Milan’s goalkeeper, Mike Maignan, was largely untested until midway through the first half, when he was forced to dive to parry away a fierce shot from Kingsley Ehizibue.

With the half seemingly heading for a stalemate, Rafael Leao broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute, scoring his first goal in six matches with a well-placed right-footed shot beyond Okoye, thanks to an assist from Youssouf Fofana.

Things worsened for Udinese shortly after, as Strahinja Pavlovic soared in the box to nod home Christian Pulisic’s inswinging corner, leaving the hosts trailing at halftime for the first time in a Serie A home match since December.

Though Milan were in a dominant position, they faced a scare at the beginning of the second half when Mike Maignan was stretchered off after a heavy clash with teammate Alex Jimenez, leading Marco Sportiello to come in as the replacement for his second league match of the season.

The substitute keeper didn’t have much to contend with, as Udinese offered very little resistance before two late goals from Milan sealed the deal.

Firstly, Theo Hernandez was sent racing down the left flank by a first-time pass from Tammy Abraham, and he unleashed a powerful shot past Okoye at his near post.

Reijnders then joined the scoring tally, guiding the ball home from Leão’s clipped assist, shortly before a goal attempt for a potential fifth was ruled out for offside.

Milan’s impressive victory propelled them to within four points of the top six, while Udinese remained in 11th place following their fourth consecutive loss.