The Europa League debut against Benfica looked like a trial by fire for Milan from the very beginning. However, the quality of the opponent is not a justification for the lifeless performance put in by Amorim‘s men.
First half: boredom and carelessness
The opening quarter of an hour was utterly uneventful, with no chances for either side. On 15′, following a moment of carelessness from Bartesaghi, the Portuguese side took the lead with a long-range strike. The home side tried to react but failed to create any real danger. They attempted to attack by exploiting wide options and the pace of their attacking midfielders, but in neither case could they break through the Portuguese defence. In fact, it was the visitors who created the other chances of the first half, hitting the post from outside the box. For the rest, nothing to report. The first half drifted by with Milan keeping possession, a single off-target effort from Jashari, and an ever-growing sense of tedium.
Second half: a second goal and resignation
The second half began in the worst possible way: just minutes in, when Milan appeared to have returned to the pitch with renewed purpose, Benfica doubled their lead. The home side, in response, merely passed the ball around, rarely finding a way through to score even one goal. The match soon became boring again, due to the lack of play and chances. Despite Milan’s attacking intent, there was never the feeling that they could score and reopen the game — perhaps because the first shot on target didn’t come until 10 minutes from the end. And that was essentially that.
Conclusions: an already bleak Europa League campaign?
In addition to the defeat, Milan take home a decidedly below-par performance, in which there was never the sense that they could score, let alone turn the game around. So ends a match that was utterly meaningless in terms of what was seen and, above all, what was not seen. If first impressions are anything to go by, this Europa League campaign looks set to be a dispiriting one.
