AC Milan’s primavera side have reached the final of the UEFA Youth League, after being FC Porto in a highly dramatic game.
Milan took the lead after just 12 minutes, when Filippo Scotti made the most of a defensive error from Porto, pouncing onto the ball and then driving down the right-hand side. Upon entering the box he prepared to shoot, before unleashing a venomous strike to the far post to give the Primavera the lead.
The Rossoneri continued to pile on pressure in the first half, going close on a few separate occasions. Unfortunately, though, the game was not one-way traffic for much longer, as Porto were awarded a penalty, which Jorge Meireles duly converted, even though Raveyre guessed the right way.
It was a lot of the same in the early stages of the second half, with both teams attempting to gain an advantage, and 25 minutes from time, the Portuguese side took the lead with Meireles involved once again, this time the assister, though, and Gabriel Bras converted.
Both sides had chances to score following this, with Porto coming close on two occasions to making their advantage two goals, but after some late Milan pressure, they finally earned what their effort had deserved as Alexander Simmelhack bagged a last-minute equaliser after some magic from Kevin Zeroli – who recently extended his deal with the club until 2028.
Once again, the Diavolo had to go to penalties to secure their place in the next round. Meireles missed the first penalty of the shootout, and Milan gained an early lead, through Alessandro Bonomi. Bras levelled the scoring, and Jan-Carlo Simic’s penalty was saved. However, the hosts could not make the most of the missed chance, blazing their third penalty over the bar.
The Rossoneri converted their following three penalties, through Simmelhack, Mattia Liberali and Zeroli, the captain who fought until the end and proved his quality at the death.
Their third successive penalty shootout win in the competition makes them the first Italian team in the competition’s history to reach the final, and what an achievement it is for a highly impressive set of young talent.