Milan cruised to a 3-0 victory over Lecce within the second spherical of the because of targets from Santiago Gimenez, Christopher Nkunku and Christian Pulisic in a sport that was made simpler for the Rossoneri because of Jamil Siebert’s 18th-minute crimson card.
There was as he served the second match of his two-game Coppa Italia suspension. There have been , whereas summer time signing Samuele Ricci was introduced into the facet to interchange Luka Modric.
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Lecce made 10 adjustments to their facet, and went with an assault led by Rossoneri loanee Francesco Camarda.
MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 23: Christopher Nkunku inflates a balloon as he celebrates with teammates after scoring to present the facet a 2-0 lead throughout the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa Spherical of 16 match between AC Milan and US Lecce at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on September 23, 2025 in San Siro, Italy. (Picture by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Photos)
The Rossoneri got here out of the blocks firing and created various promising alternatives for themselves inside the opening exchanges. Gimenez and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have been each denied from shut vary within the second minute, the Mexican fired off beam from just some yards out, and Christopher Nkunku struck the fallacious facet of the publish, all earlier than the tenth minute.
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Lecce have been then diminished to 10 males after a VAR examine within the 18th minute. Siebert introduced down Nkunku proper on the sting of his space, and was initially proven a yellow card, which was later upgraded to crimson for the denial of a transparent and apparent goalscoring alternative.
It took Milan lower than two minutes to capitalise. Adrien Rabiot discovered Davide Bartesaghi on the left flank, and the Rossoneri full-back supplied a superb low cross for Gimenez to stab dwelling for his first aggressive aim of the season.
MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 23: Santiago Gimenez scores to present the facet a 1-0 lead throughout the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa Spherical of 16 match in opposition to US Lecce at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on September 23, 2025 in San Siro, Italy. (Picture by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Photos)
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Milan would go on to hit the woodwork as soon as extra earlier than the tip of the primary half, this time by way of Rabiot, who hit the crossbar at full stretch after a teasing ball in from Alexis Saelemaekers.
Loftus-Cheek went on to strike the publish virtually instantly after half-time: The third time Milan had hit the woodwork in simply over 45 minutes. Nkunku blazed over from shut vary a couple of minute later.
The Frenchman was capable of pull out his trademark celebration shortly afterwards, as he leapt acrobatically to use an emphatic end to Saelemaekers’s cross from a Milan nook.
MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 23: Christopher Nkunku inflates a balloon as he celebrates with teammates after scoring to present the facet a 2-0 lead throughout the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa Spherical of 16 match between AC Milan and US Lecce at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on September 23, 2025 in San Siro, Italy. (Picture by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Photos)
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Second half substitute Pulisic was the following to search out the web for Milan: Timing his run to perfection to get a first-time end to Youssouf Fofana’s cross in from the correct flank. He had solely been on the pitch for a matter of minutes earlier than then.
The Rossoneri will go on to face Lazio within the spherical of 16 on December 3.
Milan 3-0 Lecce
Gimenez 20’, Nkunku 51’, Pulisic 64′.
MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 23: Christian Pulisic celebrates after scoring to present the facet a 3-0 lead throughout the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa Spherical of 16 match between AC Milan and US Lecce at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on September 23, 2025 in San Siro, Italy. (Picture by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Photos)