Champions League holders Real Madrid fell to a 3-1 residence defeat by AC Milan on Tuesday within the group stage with striker Kylian Mbappe unable to seek out the online once more. The 25-year-old France captain has scored as soon as in his final six matches for Madrid throughout all competitions, together with three losses for Los Blancos. Malick Thiaw headed the Italian facet forward earlier than Vinicius Junior levelled from the penalty spot for the hosts. Alvaro Morata struck in opposition to his former facet to revive Milan’s lead earlier than the break and Tijjani Reijnders netted the third to safe Milan’s victory.
Madrid had been unable to bounce again strongly from the 4-0 thrashing by Barcelona in late October, their final outing after Saturday’s La Liga match at Valencia was postponed due to devastating floods within the east of Spain.
Players from either side wore t-shirts earlier than the match studying “We are all Valencia” whereas in a single stand an enormous Valencia regional flag was unfurled for a minute’s silence.
In the 90 minutes that adopted, Paulo Fonseca’s Milan, seventh in Serie A, outclassed Madrid.
“We are going via a interval when our opponents are punishing us quite a bit and now we have to maintain working in order that this does not occur once more,” Madrid defender Lucas Vazquez advised Movistar.
Los Blancos have let in 9 objectives of their final three residence matches.
“We need to be apprehensive, the crew’s not giving account of itself,” mentioned Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.
“The crew shouldn’t be compact, now we have to be extra compact, extra organised, we have let in plenty of objectives… we’re not properly organised on the pitch and now we have to work on that.”
Milan have gained the competitors seven occasions, behind solely report 15-time champions Madrid, however haven’t reached a remaining since 2007, when Ancelotti led them to the trophy.
This victory harked again to their glory days and Fonseca praised his crew’s bravery.
“The gamers got here right here with braveness, did not have any concern… within the first half we created a lot and within the second half we had been on the again foot, however we fought collectively,” mentioned the Portuguese coach.
“We positively deserved to win.”
Ancelotti, who gained the Champions League twice as a participant after which twice as a coach with Milan, solely made one change from the Clasico humiliation, bringing in Luka Modric for Eduardo Camavinga.
Madrid fell behind within the twelfth minute. Thiaw’s near-post header from a nook flew previous the helpless Andriy Lunin to earn the Serie A facet the lead.
Mike Maignan saved from Mbappe on the different finish as Madrid hit again, with Vinicius profitable a penalty as he fell beneath a careless deal with from Emerson Royal.
The Brazilian, who completed as runner-up in final week’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris when he had been favorite to win, coolly dispatched it with a cheeky dinked Panenka effort.
’11 lions’
Milan regained the lead within the thirty ninth minute via former Madrid striker Morata, who reacted rapidly to fireplace residence after Lunin saved from Rafael Leao.
Mbappe, but to seek out prime type in a Madrid shirt since his transfer from Paris Saint-Germain and notably annoyed within the Barcelona defeat, broke in once more earlier than half-time however Maignan saved his low effort.
Ancelotti took motion at half-time, bringing on Camavinga and Brahim Diaz, and it opened up the second half for an end-to-end affair.
Lunin made an excellent flying save from Leao’s header earlier than the winger arrange Reijnders on the finish of an excellent solo run to show residence for Milan’s third.
Antonio Rudiger smashed residence however was offside and Maignan denied Diaz with a effective late save, killing any Madrid hopes of a basic European comeback.
Madrid have now misplaced two of their 4 matches and are in the course of the desk, provisionally seventeenth, one place above Milan.
Their subsequent Champions League match is at Anfield in opposition to Liverpool, by when Ancelotti will hope to have solved a few of his crew’s rising issues.
Morata thought his crew’s work-rate was essential to their spectacular victory within the Spanish capital.
“It was essential for us to know the worth now we have and that after we are 11 lions on the pitch, it is vitally troublesome for a crew to beat us,” he mentioned.
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