Bologna 0-2 AC Milan: Christian Pulisic and Olivier Giroud on target as Rossoneri start season with win
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Updated 21/08/2023 at 22:49 GMT+1
AC Milan turned in a polished away performance to start their Serie A campaign with a win at Bologna. The goalscorers were former Chelsea pair Christian Pulisic and OIivier Giroud, who combined deliciously for the American’s stunning strike that followed Giroud's earlier opener. Another ex-Chelsea man, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, started for Milan but had a quieter night in midfield.
'Cracking hit!' - Pulisic scores first AC Milan goal with brilliant strike
AC Milan produced a clinical performance to see off a spirited but toothless Bologna side in their first match of the 2023/24 Serie A season.
With Milan playing last after seven other games produced a winner in the opening weekend of the season, the pressure was on Stefano Pioli’s team, but after Olivier Giroud’s opener the result never looked in doubt.
New signing Christian Pulisic got his name on the scoresheet soon afterwards, his first goal for the Rossoneri, and the visitors always looked more likely to score again than Bologna.
Fellow summer arrival Tijjani Reijnders also fitted in seamlessly to the Milan midfield and set up Giroud’s opener, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek also featured in the Rossoneri engine room.
The English midfielder moved to Italy looking for a fresh start but struggled to influence the game before leaving the field with just under 20 minutes left.
Bologna can be proud of their effort especially in the first half, but Thiago Motta will be concerned by their lack of goal threat following Marko Arnautovic’s exit for the most part. Roared on by a vociferous home crowd, new signing Daniel Ndoye settled into midfield well and Lewis Ferguson threatened at times alongside him.
But neither was able to fashion enough opportunities for new starting striker Joshua Zirkzee. The Dutchman scored just twice last season but with Arnautovic’s departure he’ll want to be the main source of goals for Bologna in 2023/24.
He put in an energetic performance constantly looking for runs off the Milan backline, but was unable to produce a quality end product on the few times he did receive the ball.
Bologna were just two points off European football last season but with Arnautovic and Gary Medel departing, they’ll need Zirkzee to have a big impact and Ndoye to follow up today’s performance.
They weren’t that much worse than Milan in midfield, but the difference in the final third efficiency was startling.
Milan looked harmless passing around the edge of the box before Pulisic hit a deep cross into the box that Reijnders did very well to reach.
He nodded it back across the six-yard past a sea of Bologna defenders, allowing Giroud to reach it first and fire past a startled Lukasz Skorupski.
There was little Skorupski could do with the second goal either, a thundering shot from Pulisic after he’d driven from deep and played a one-two with Giroud.
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If Milan can go 2-0 up in 20 minutes every week with less possession, passes and an equal number of shots then they’ll be tough to be this season.
While both sides enjoyed an equal battle in the middle of the park, the visitors looked like scoring every time they broke forward in the first half.
Rafael Leao didn’t finish with a goal but always looked to take on defenders and Bologna looked uncomfortable with his direct running for most of the game.
Pulisic often drifted behind the front line, linking play from midfield to attack, and already looks to be combining well with Leao and Giroud.
And Reijnders was brilliant in a quieter way too, dropping back to frustrate Bologna’s attack but always finding a deft but dangerous pass when he did join attacks.
If Pioli can find a tune out of Loftus-Cheek too then Milan could have the most dangerous attack in the league, though they scored the same amount as Inter did earlier in the weekend that looked almost out of choice following their early blitz into the lead.
Four substitutions with 20 minutes to go stunted the previously seamless interplay at the front but by then it was job done.
Player of the match: Olivier Giroud
Linking back up with former Chelsea team-mate Pulisic, Giroud showed he’s lost none of that trademark sharpness when he set the American up for his first Milan goal.
It wasn’t the hardest pass in the world to pull off (while still needing the right weight on it), but what really stood out was the presence of mind and telepathy of Giroud to pick the right option.
Giroud’s opening goal was the kind he’s seemingly been scoring forever and could probably finish in his sleep, as he was quickest to the ball despite turning 37 next month.
Milan were content to sit on the ball for large portions of the game after that, but France’s all-time top scorer still managed to produce a volley that forced Skorupski to save at full stretch.
And when Giroud departed with 20 minutes left, it was to rapturous applause from a packed-out away end.
Player ratings
Bologna: Skorupski 5, Lykogiannis 6, Lucimi 5, Posch 6, Beukema 5, Ndoye 7, Ferguson 6, Aebischer 5, Moro 5, Dominguez 5, Zirkzee 5
Subs: Orsolini 5, Corazza 5, El Azzouzi 6, van Hooijdon 6, Urbanski 6
AC Milan: Maignan 7, Hernandez 7, Calabria 6, Tomori 6, Thiaw 7, Reijnders 7, Krunic 7, Loftus-Cheek 5, Leao 8, Giroud 8, Pulisic 8
Subs: Okafor 6, Kalulu 6, Chukwueze 7, Kjaer 6, Pobega 6
Match highlights
1’ Hit the bar! And Bologna waste no time, Charalampos Lykogiannis thundered the bar from 30 yards out, what a start! The hosts scored after just 32 seconds in this fixture last season.
11’ GOAL!!! Bologna 0-1 AC Milan: Wow, that came from nowhere! Bologna looked comfortable with Milan's short passing but both Pulisic and Tijjani Reijnders helped get the ball to Giroud who finished coolly. That's just Milan's second shot of the game, it had been quite an even contest in midfield. Pulisic's cross looked overhit but Reijnders didn't give up and headed it across goal from the back post basically on the byline, and Giroud made no mistake with the finish.
20’ - GOAL!!! Bologna 0-2 AC Milan: Pulisic doubles Milan's lead with his first goal for the club, and an absolute cracker at that! There still hasn't been much to split the teams... Except their sharpness in the final third. Pulisic drove forward from the halfway line and laid it off to Giroud, who flicked it back to the American with the outside of his boot. And Pulisic produced the perfect finish from outside the penalty area on the right, firing across boal and past an outstretched Lukasz Skorupski.
54’ - Ferguson close again: The Scot has been Bologna's brightest spark so far and he receives the ball after a nice move on the left-hand-side of the box from the home team. However, Ferguson's shot blazed comfortably over.
85’ - How have they missed? Ndoye, El Azzouzi and Ferguson all missed chances for Bologna in the Milan box there.
Key stats
2002 was the last time Bologna beat AC Milan at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara.
That’s four wins out of four for Pioli at Milan on the opening day of the season.
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