Loss to AC Milan. Two goals in ten, Diouf sent off

4:2
(3:1)
osmifinále, Th 7.3.2024, San Siro
osmifinále, Th 7.3.2024, San Siro
AC Milan - Slavia
Goals: 34. Giroud, 44. Reijnders, 45. Loftus-Cheek, 85. Pulišič – 36. Douděra, 65. Schranz
Slavia suffered a 2-4 defeat against AC Milan at San Siro in the opening leg of the Europa League Round of 16. David Douděra and Ivan Schranz scored for Jindřich Trpišovský´s selection. From the 26th minute onwards, Slavia played with ten men following Malick Diouf´s red card. The second leg is scheduled for next week at Eden.
In the match against the third-placed team in Serie A, Jindřich Trpišovský sent out a tactically similar lineup to the one in Sunday's derby. Jindřich Staněk remained in goal after keeping a clean sheet against Sparta, with Jan Bořil replacing Malick Diouf in defense. In midfield, Lukáš Provod and Ondřej Zmrzlý came in for Václav Jurečka and Ivan Schranz.

It was a special moment for both players. Zmrzlý made his debut in European competitions and immediately in Slavia's starting lineup, while Provod returned to the stadium where he made his European debut in the fall of 2019.

The match also marked a milestone for Lukáš Masopust, the second player to remember his Champions League debut against Inter. He equaled Peter Olayinka's record for the highest number of European appearances for Slavia, playing his 55th European game.

Milan coach Pioli also fielded big names, with Loftus-Cheek, Pulisic, Leao, and Giroud starting.

Slavia started with gradual combination play, controlling the ball on the opponent's half in the opening minutes. In the sixth minute, Florenzi received a yellow card for a foul on Ševčík. Milan settled after about six minutes when Florenzi sent a cross from a set-piece, narrowly missed by Giroud in front of Staněk.

The home side got into an even better position after Holeš was judged to have fouled Giroud on the edge of the box. However, Florenzi's shot went just over the bar.

In the 12th minute, Slavia had their first chance when Oscar sent a cross from the right, and Diouf, unmarked from the opposite wing, tried to volley the ball inside the box but only deflected it slightly wide. Three minutes later, Provod sent a beautiful through ball to Douděra, who controlled it but missed with his right foot from the edge of the box.

Slavia dominated possession in the opening stages, but in the 26th minute, their game took a big blow. Malick Diouf failed to reach the ball in a challenge with Pulisic, stepping on his opponent's ankle, resulting in a straight red card. Slavia faced more than an hour with ten men.

Milan capitalized on their numerical advantage eight minutes later. Leao sent a cross from the left between Staněk and Zima, and Giroud headed it into the net. In the 34th minute, Milan's lead was short-lived as Douděra volleyed the ball beautifully into the far corner after a corner kick.

Unfortunately, Slavia ended the first half poorly, conceding two more goals. Giroud's attempt went over in the 41st minute, but in the 45th minute, Reijnders scored from outside the box after a corner kick, and Loftus-Cheek headed in another goal in stoppage time, making it 3-1.

The second half started calmer than the turbulent end of the first. In the 49th minute, Leao had a dangerous shot, which went just wide. But the game lacked excitement until Ivan Schranz came on. In the 61st minute, he replaced Mojmír Chytil, and four minutes later, he received a long cross in the box and scored a fantastic goal into the top corner, making it 3-2.

Milan struggled to react to the goal for a long time. It wasn't until the 84th minute when Jovič had a dangerous shot, sending the ball just past the left post. But a minute later, Leao dribbled past Slavia's defense from the left side and chipped the ball over Staněk, and Pulisic tapped it into the net.

Milan secured a 4-2 victory in front of 64,642 fans, and no more goals were scored in the match. Slavia will try to overcome the two-goal deficit in the second leg at Eden.

4:2

Lineups

AC Milan

Maignan – Florenzi (46. Calabria), Kjær, Gabbia (46. Tomori), Hernández (C) – Y. Adli, Reijnders (82. Binnásir) – Pulišić, Loftus-Cheek (67. Jović), Leão – Giroud (82. Okafor)

Slavia

Staněk – Vlček, Holeš (C), Zima, Diouf – Masopust (87. Tomič), Oscar – Douděra (87. Wallem), Provod (83. Jurečka), Zmrzlý (83. Bořil) – Chytil (61. Schranz)

MATCH DETAILS

Goals
34. Giroud, 44. Reijnders, 45. Loftus-Cheek, 85. Pulišič – 36. Douděra, 65. Schranz
Attendance
64642
Yellow cards
Florenzi, Calabria
Red cards
26. Diouf (SLA)
Referees
Meler – Eyisoy, Ersoy (TUR)

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