AC Milan 0-2 Ferencvaros: Rossoneri fall to another dire Europa League defeat

By: Oliver Fisher

AC Milan fell to a third Europa League defeat in four games as they were beaten 2-0 at home by Ferencvaros.

The hero of the night for the Hungarian side was without doubt Lenny Joseph, who netted twice in the second half to capitalise firstly on a loose touch from Lorenzo Torriani and then from a two-on-one break.

A red card for the substitute Yusif threatened to change the momentum of the game, but the Rossoneri were unable to fashion any real response to put the result in doubt in what was another forgettable European night.

The result means that Milan have now dropped out of even the top 24 spots, and they can just about say goodbye to any hopes of direct last-16 qualification barring a miracle.

Ruben Amorim chose to make six changes from the team that beat Inter in the derby, with Lorenzo Torriani, Filippo Terracciano, Davide Bartesaghi, Ardon Jashari, Omari Hutchinson and Alphadjo Cisse coming into the team.

Ferencvaros started the game on top and they created the first big chance of the game less than four minutes in. A loose pass as Milan tried to build out was seized upon by Zachariassen who threaded Joseph through, and though his initial attempt was blocked by Koni De Winter, the forward managed to get another shot off from a few yards out that was thankfully straight at Torriani.

The first 15 minutes were quite frankly dreadful from Milan, in complete contrast to the victory at the weekend. The away side dominated possession thanks to so many sloppy giveaways, and Birmancevic nearly found himself bearing down on goal in a central area though he fired at his own man after some good close control.

It continued to be all the Hungarian side as the majority of the San Siro crowd began to grow worried and impatient. Another shot towards the goal came in the 17th minute, and even if Zachariassen did roll it straight at Torriani the fact he was found in space beyond the defensive line caused more worry.

Milan did not grow into the game as hoped and the errors kept coming. A stray pass backwards from Jashari under pressure put Joseph through on goal for Ferencvaros, though Torriani read his shot towards the bottom right corner well and was able to claim it. Another warning sign, however.

The first half was probably best summarised by two fouls in quick succession. The first saw Cisse act on the frustration of losing the ball and go lunging in to earn a yellow card that in fairness to the youngster was harsh, then Bartesaghi lost possession near the touchline before clumsily bundling his man over to give away a free-kick.

It took until the 39th minute for Milan to have their first shot of the game, but Cisse lashed it well over the bar from an Adrien Rabiot knock-down that landed nicely just beyond the penalty spot. At the other end, Joseph got the better of Diawara to surge into the box, yet Torriani was equal to his effort from a very narrow angle.

Torriani was by far the busier of the two goalkeepers and he was called into action again a few minutes from the break, with Joseph again the man who found space to shoot inside the box. The Italian got a strong hand to thwart the angled drive.

Amorim was clearly very displeased with what he saw in the first half, as he chose to make three changes at the break, bringing on Mario Gila, Diego Moreira and Christian Pulisic. Diawara, Cisse and Yunus Musah were the ones to come off.

Milan started the second half the better of the two sides, with Hutchinson firing into the side netting and then Ramos going on a winding run past three players into the box before a deflected shot.

Seven minutes into the second half, the deadlock was finally broken and it was unfortunately a moment to forget for Torriani. De Winter played a bit of a demanding pass back to the goalkeeper inside the box and the heavy first touch was seized upon, with the Ferencvaros player going down for what would have been a penalty had Joseph not been on hand to slot into an empty net.

The Rossoneri’s response was almost instant with Ramos again at the centre of some good work on the edge of the box, feeding Hutchinson’s run beyond the last man down the left side of the box, though the shot across goal just rolled wide of the far post.

In the 66th minute, Ferencvaros dealt Milan a sucker punch as they doubled their advantage just after Jashari had come off for Luka Modric. A bit of a ricochet in midfield led to a dangerous two-on-one situation for the visitors, allowing Zachariassen to lay it on a plate to Joseph, who simply had to slot it into an empty net.

The final change came just after with Francesco Camarda coming on for Bartesaghi, and he was not far from reopening the contest with a near-post flick from Moreira’s cross. Up the other end, a quickly taken free-kick saw Zachariassen’s half-volley draw a reaction save from Torriani.

There was a moment of madness from the substitute Yusuf with 15 minutes left on the clock as he seemed to reach out an elbow to strike Gila unprovoked. The Spaniard went down, VAR took a look and the referee sent him off.

Dibusz hadn’t been very busy all night, but the veteran goalkeeper was called upon to make a good save with his legs from Hutchinson’s shot through a crowd. It was looking more and more like not being the Diavolo’s night.

Ferencvaros should have had a third in the second of four added minutes when another loose pass towards Torriani was collected by Madarasz, who rounded the keeper but hit the side-netting.