AC Milan secured their third consecutive Champions League victory by defeating Slovan Bratislava 3-2. Despite facing intense pressure towards the end, Milan managed to hold on.
Christian Pulisic opened the scoring for Milan in the 21st minute. However, Slovan quickly responded with an equaliser from Tigran Barseghyan just three minutes later.
Rafael Leao, coming off the bench, restored Milan’s lead in the 68th minute. He stayed onside to convert a pass from Youssouf Fofana. Shortly after, Tammy Abraham capitalised on a poor back-pass by David Strelec to extend Milan’s advantage. Slovan managed to score again through Nino Marcelli in the 88th minute.
Slovan Bratislava’s Marko Tolic was sent off late in the game after receiving two yellow cards for dissent within moments. This left Slovan with ten players as they tried to find an equaliser. Despite this setback, Milan held firm and moved up to nine points in their group standings.
Marko Tolic’s dismissal marked a rare occurrence in Champions League history. He became the first player since Arturo Vidal in November 2020 to be sent off for two yellow cards due to dissent.
Pulisic’s goal was significant as it made him only the second American player to score three goals in a single Champions League season. The first was DeMarcus Beasley during his time with PSV Eindhoven in the 2004-05 campaign.
This victory also marked a milestone for AC Milan. It was their first time winning three consecutive group-stage matches since Carlo Ancelotti led them during the 2004-05 season when they reached the final but lost to Liverpool after leading 3-0.
Milan now sits comfortably at nine points, while Slovan remains at zero, struggling at the bottom of their group table.