Rafael Leao’s stunning performance led Milan to a crushing 4-0 victory over Serie A leaders Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday.
Leao’s two brilliant goals, alongside strikes from Brahim Diaz and Alexis Saelemaekers, secured the three points for Milan, who took advantage of Inter’s loss to Fiorentina to go third in the table.
The game started with Giovanni Simeone missing the first clear chance for Napoli when he fired over from 12 yards out. Simeone was deputising for star striker Victor Osimhen who reported for club duty with an injury he picked up on international duty with the Super Eagles. Osimhen’s absence was surely felt as Napoli despite controlling possession, lacked the cutting edge upfront.
Milan struck first after 17 minutes. Leao raced onto Diaz’s through ball before dinking an impudent finish over Alex Meret, ending his 11-game goal drought at club level.
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Things got even better for the Rossoneri eight minutes later, with Diaz sitting Mario Rui down after controlling Ismael Bennacer’s left-wing cross before finishing high into the roof of the net.
Despite Napoli dominating possession, Milan went further ahead when Leao capped a lightning break by tricking his way past Amir Rrahmani and lashing into the top-right corner.
With Napoli all at sea defensively, Saelemaekers added a memorable strike of his own, dancing through several Partenopei challenges before prodding beyond Meret after 67 minutes.
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Mike Maignan made strong saves to thwart Piotr Zielinski and Mario Rui, while Olivier Giroud went close to finding the bottom-right corner after the interval.
Milan’s defense held strong, and they were able to withstand Napoli’s pressure to secure a clean sheet. The result saw Milan take advantage of Inter’s loss to Fiorentina, going third in the table.
Stefano Pioli will be hoping that this victory represents a sign of things to come ahead of the team’s upcoming Champions League quarter-final tie. Milan’s performance was a statement of intent, and they will look to build on this momentum as they continue to fight for a top-four finish in the Serie A.
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