A profligate AC Milan narrowly escaped with all three points in a tense 1-0 victory over Hellas Verona at San Siro on Saturday, thanks to a late header from Santiago Gimenez.
Milan fans endured a frustrating evening as their team struggled to break down Verona’s defensive setup.
However, relief swept through the stadium in the 75th minute when Rafael Leão expertly flicked a cross into Gimenez’s path, allowing the striker to nod home the decisive goal.
The win lifted Milan to seventh place with 41 points, still five adrift of fourth-placed Lazio, who currently occupy the final Champions League qualification spot. Meanwhile, Verona sit in 15th.
Despite dominating possession in the first half, Milan found themselves repeatedly thwarted by a well-organized Verona defense.
The Rossoneri nearly broke through early on when Tijjani Reijnders fired a low drive from distance, but goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipò reacted swiftly, diving to parry the effort away.
João Félix then nearly caught Montipò off guard with what seemed to be an attempted cross, only for the Verona shot-stopper to make a desperate diving save and keep the scores level.
Milan thought they had taken the lead just after the half-hour mark when Gimenez found the net, but the celebrations were short-lived as the goal was ruled out for offside.
The hosts continued to dominate possession, rarely allowing Verona to venture past midfield, yet their inability to convert chances heightened tensions inside the stadium.
The second half saw few clear-cut chances until Gimenez’s moment of brilliance broke the deadlock, sparking wild celebrations among the Milan faithful.
Leão had a late opportunity to put the result beyond doubt when he surged into the box, but Verona managed to clear the danger just as the final whistle blew, sealing Milan’s hard-fought victory.
