AC Milan secured a hard-fought 2-0 win over Empoli in Serie A, with new signing Santiago Gimenez scoring his first goal for the club. Rafael Leao also found the net as Milan overcame Fikayo Tomori’s red card to claim a valuable victory that moves them up to seventh in the table.
Gimenez’s first goal for Milan came in the 76th minute, as he finished clinically to seal the win. Leao had earlier opened the scoring with a header, capitalizing on Milan’s numerical advantage after Tomori was sent off for a second bookable offense.
Despite playing with 10 men for a period, Milan showed resilience and determination to secure the victory. Manager Sergio Conceicao praised his team’s spirit and their ability to overcome adversity.
“The temptation at that moment was to take off a striker and put on a defender,” Conceicao said. “But a draw here is like a defeat for Milan, so I had to take the gamble.”
Gimenez’s goal will be a welcome boost for the Mexican striker, who joined Milan from Feyenoord in the January transfer window. He will now be looking to continue his goalscoring form when Milan face his former club in the Champions League play-offs on Wednesday.
“It’s going to be really tough, it’s a lot of emotion because Feyenoord gave me a lot, they are like family,” Gimenez said.
Gimenez’s goal was not the only contribution from Milan’s new signings. Kyle Walker and Joao Felix also started the match, with Walker making his second appearance for the club since joining on loan from Manchester City.
Milan midfielder Christian Pulisic praised the team’s performance and highlighted the impact of the new signings.
“This is the spirit we need, we have a lot of quality in the squad, now even more with the new signings,” Pulisic said.
This victory keeps Milan’s hopes of Champions League qualification alive. They are now five points behind fourth-placed Atalanta with a game in hand. With their new signings settling in and the team showing fighting spirit, Milan will be looking to continue their push for a top-four finish.
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