AC Milan kept their Champions League hopes alive with a sensational 1-0 victory against Atletico Madrid courtesy of a goal inside the last five minutes.
Milan came into the game knowing that it was a do-or-die situation; either they had to record their first victory of the group stage or they would be eliminated, and while they had to wait until the closing stages to get the goal their pressure deserved eventually arrived.
It came from an unlikely source as well, as a fantastic cross from Franck Kessie down the left-wing perfectly met the head of substitute Junior Messias, who headed past a helpless Oblak to send the travelling fans into delirium.
Two second-half goals from Liverpool at Anfield meant that the Rossoneri got the result they needed to help keep them alive, and it sets up another must-win game in matchday six against Jurgen Klopp’s men at San Siro.
Head coach Stefano Pioli made three changes from the team that lost for the first time in Serie A on Saturday night with Alessio Romagnoli coming into the back four for Matteo Gabbia, Rade Krunic joining the attacking trident in Rafael Leao’s place and Olivier Giroud preferred over Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
As news came through of an opener for Liverpool at Anfield against Porto – something that certainly helped both sides – Giroud responded by firing over the bar with an ambitious swinging attempt from just outside the edge of the box.
A quadruple change came from the visiting team not long after that as Tiemoue Bakayoko, Alessandro Florenzi, Junior Messias and Zlatan Ibrahimovic came on with Tonali, Krunic, Kalulu and Giroud going off, all while the latter clutched his hamstring.
Oblak produced a fantastic stop to deny Ibrahimovic who had been put through on goal and the flag did go up on the far side as the ball went out for a corner, though replays showed he was onside and a goal would have stood.
With just over three minutes left on the clock, it was Milan who got the goal their pressure deserved. A counter-attack saw Theo feed a ball into Kessie who was playing as a makeshift attacking midfielder at this point, and he stood up an inch-perfect cross where Junior Messias was waiting to head in for his first-ever goal for the club.
It is a remarkable change in fortunes for the Brazilian, who just a few years ago was playing at the amateur level and holding down other jobs such as refrigerator delivery man to keep himself afloat.
There seemed to be a huge chance for Ibra to seal the three points when a Florenzi shot was parried into the Swede’s path and he lifted the ball over Oblak but his effort was cleared off the line. At the other end, Cunha wasted a huge chance for Atletico to level as he diverted a cross wide at the near post.
That would be the final chance of the game as late penalty appeals were waved away when Correa took a tumble, as Pioli’s resilient Rossoneri live to fight another day.
