AC Milan 3-1 Bologna: Gimenez and Pulisic engineer another come-from-behind victory | OneFootball

AC Milan provided the first punch in the double battle with Bologna as they came from behind to win 3-1 at San Siro on Friday night.

After a goalless and timid first half, the game burst into life in the second half and it started with Riccardo Orsolini’s goal, which was a trademark shot inside the far post. Milan have made a habit of coming from behind, and this would follow that trend.

Santiago Gimenez was summoned off the bench and he proved to be the difference-maker, scoring the equalising goal in the 73rd minute. Christian Pulisic then got the Rossoneri ahead before Gimenez secured his brace and the three points in the 92nd minute.

It is a result that puts a huge dent in Bologna’s top four ambitions, but will also provide them with extra motivation to get revenge in the Coppa Italia final next midweek.

With the season-defining game coming next week, there had been talk about how Sergio Conceicao could rotate heavily for the Serie A encounter. In the end though he chose to make just one change from the team that faced Genoa on Monday night, with Joao Felix replacing the suspended Rafael Leao.

The first ten minutes of the game were played almost exclusively in Milan’s half as the tactic seemed to be the familiar contain-and-counter from recent weeks. The only shot at goal though was a tame effort from De Silvestri on the edge of the box.

There was a strange situation when Fikayo Tomori took a blow to the head and stayed down for a while, then looked able to continue. A few minutes later he sat down looking dizzy and the decision was made to bring him off, with Malick Thiaw taking his place.

Milan grew into the game after being penned in early on. Lykogiannis made a brilliant block to deny Christian Pulisic who looked to have split the defence and got in behind, much like his goal in the first derby against Inter. Moments later, Joao Felix had a curling shot that deflected and looped just wide of the far post.

More Stories / The Match

AC Milan 3-1 Bologna: Gimenez and Pulisic engineer another come-from-behind victory

9 May 2025, 22:51

Watch: Gimenez and Pulisic score in quick succession as Milan come back vs. Bologna

9 May 2025, 22:35

AC Milan 3-1 Bologna: Follow the action with our live commentary

9 May 2025, 20:35

From the resulting corner, the Rossoneri were inches away from taking the lead. An in-swinger towards the far post beat everyone – including the flapping Skorupsi – but the goalkeeper recovered somehow to save Luka Jovic’s header on the line.

After slicing a few kicks out of play, the first testing save that Mike Maignan had to make was from a Dominguez strike that was heading into the bottom corner but was palmed away by the Frenchman after it took a nick.

The game then settled back into a much calmer rhythm up until the break, with the feeling being that both sides didn’t want to show their full hand, and perhaps make the extra run or tackle in view of next week’s game. Orsolini had the best two half-chances; a far post header and a shot from a cut-back that he blasted over.

Bologna took the lead four minutes into the second half, and it was Orsolini who got it with a trademark finish. A long ball was flicked on by Dallinga, allowing the winger to get 1v1 with Pavlovic, cutting in onto his left foot and curling a precise shot inside the far post.

That goal flattened the atmosphere somewhat, and Milan didn’t test Skorupski until just after the hour mark when Theo Hernandez fired a stinging shot at him after a first attempt rebounded back to him, though it was relatively easily parried.

In the 65th minute, Conceicao decided to role the dice with a triple substitution. Pavlovic, Jimenez and Jovic came off for Kyle Walker, Samuel Chukwueze and Santiago Gimenez.

Milan’s night to that point was summed up perfectly by an attack in the 70th minute in which Joao Felix went on a piercing run into the box and when the time came for the end product he effectively tripped over the ball and allowed the defender to clear.

Less than two minutes after that, a ball from Joao in behind for Gimenez saw the Mexican go down appealing for a penalty after he got goal-side of Lucumi. However, replays showed it was the right call not to give a spot kick.

In the 73rd minute, Milan got the equalising goal that their pressure had been threatening. A break from inside their own half saw Joao Felix feed Chukwueze, whose attempted ball to Gimenez was cut out only to Pulisic, who then set the Mexican up for an easy finish all alone.

As has so often been the case under Conceicao, one goal brought two and the comeback was completed. In truth there was an element of fortune about the goal that made it 2-1, as Chukwueze ran down the left flank and cut back to Joao Felix, whose shot deflected into the path of the American for an easy finish inside the box.

Bologna came very close to equalising in the last minute of normal time when a ball fell to Cambiaghi inside the box and his attempt was just about tipped away by Maignan at his near post when he seemed a bit surprised by the effort.

In the second minute of four added, Milan put the game to bed as Gimenez got his second of the night. The Rossoneri broke away down the right from a Bologna corner and it looked like Chukwueze had overrun it as he darted inside. He eventually found the former Feyenoord man who took a touch past the sliding defender and slotted in with all the calm of a €32m man.