MILAN-UDINESE 1-0 | EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS | SERIE A 2024/25

Paulo Fonseca is nothing if not brave. A little under a month ago the Milan coach's boldness was rewarded with a derby win which allowed him to hang on to his job and Fonseca has taken similarly drastic measures in his team selection tonight in order to first and foremost beat Udinese but also send out a message to some of his senior players. Udinese have been a surprise package so far this season. They're hoping to emulate their scalp here from last season when they won by a goal to nil. Milan Udinese is just moments away. There has been talk about necessary squad rotation for Paulo Fonseca with Milan beginning a sequence of fixtures when they will face seven matches in the space of 22 days but all the talk about the personnel this evening has centered around a lack of application, an absence of work rate and those not necessarily towing the party line. I'm sure the fans in the Côte d'Azur will have a thing or two to say as well. Three of Paulo Fonseca's five changes come at the back where Teo Hernandez is suspended while Gabier is injured and Tomori has dropped so Emerson is the one survivor from the back four at Fiorentina with Rafael Leão and Tami Abraham essentially being as Milan revert to the 4-2-3-1. 17-year-old Mathia Liberale is included amongst the substitutes. Jaka Bial is the stand-in skipper for Udinese this evening. They're still without Florian Thauvin who is their star player. Kosta Runjajic revealed that he's still struggling with a rib injury he sustained in a match against Inter. Two alterations for Kosta Runjajic and Udinese from their last match, a 1-0 win over Lecce. Sandy Lovrich is fit again and comes back in for Ekelenkamp and there's a first Serie A start for Iker Bravo. He leads the line alongside new Italy international Lorenzo Luca. It was Roberto Pereira who scored the match-winning penalty here last season. He's no longer on the Udinese books. Kosta Runjajic was an unknown quantity when he took over this summer after a couple of seasons with Legia Warsaw. Paulo Fonseca was familiar to fans of Serie A but he's under pressure. A reminder of our initiative for Save the Children which feels more topical than ever given the ongoing conflicts in the world. A big test for Milan this evening. Udinese begin tonight's match two points and a place better off than the Rossoneri in the table and Milan are also much changed from that crazy game in Florence when they were beaten 4-2 by Fiorentina, 2-1 by Fiorentina, excuse me, and missed two penalties in the process. All that despite Mignot keeping out a spot kick of his own. Left there by Fofana and it allows Lovric to pounce on the ball. Lovric with the effort. It was ambitious. Ciao. Pavlovic spotted the run of Okafor. He's found him as well. Morata's gone down. Okafor goes himself and it was tame. He has the chance to impress this evening. Paulo Fonseca Okafor. Too quick for Zamora. Still Okafor. Now it's Christian Pulisic for Cukwesic. Fonseca's got his team selection right all right. Okafor involved. Cukwesic the scorer and of course Pulisic had to play a part as well. Just a dozen minutes is what it's taken for Milan to open the scoring here and it's a very rare goal in Serie A for Samuel Cukwesic. Just his second in the Italian top flight. Okafor has been so dangerous right from the outset. Zamora didn't know how to deal with him. Pulisic was unselfish and Cukwesic was lethal. Credit to Paulo Fonseca for making the decisions that matter. There was just a brush off the defender Kingsley Ejisibue but Okoye wouldn't have got there in any case and Cukwesic who has so often flattered to deceive might now get a run in the team. Paulo Fonseca brave. Clever run that from Ejisibue. Still Ejisibue. Once he'd got there he would have been better off looking for a colleague. It's technically a shot on target but Mignon had a long hard look at it. Now Reinders. Cukwesic wants it on the far side. Instead it's with Okafor. His cross for Morata. Straight at the goalkeeper but Milan creating lots of havoc down this near side. Pulisic with the corner. Milan wants a second. Away by Luka. Back in by Cukwesic. Reinders from very close range and the smile suggests he knows he should have scored. Mignon has found Lovric and there could be real trouble here for Reinders. Is it red? Yes. That's what they call a dog so Tijani Reinders denying Udinese a goal scoring opportunity and having had Teo Hernandez sent off after the full-time whistle in Florence. We've not even played half an hour here against Udinese and Milan are down to 10. Zamora strikes the free kick and he nearly did it again. Mignon was static. Mignon had given up the ghost there and how close was this from Jordan Zamora? That's a better ball in and there's Ehisibue and just before the break Udinese find a leveller. The flag has gone up though to deny Kingsley Ehisibue. Offside is the call and now we'll get a look via semi-automatic offside technology as to how far offside Kingsley Ehisibue was. A shoulder width and that is a part of the anatomy with which you can score hence why it's valid. Milan are on course for victory but the route towards that win has become compromised by a first half red card to Gianni Reinders. They started the game very well Samuel Chukwesi with only a second Serie A goal after fine work first from Okafor and Natalie from Pulisic. Udinese trail but they harbour hopes of getting something from this game. At the break Milan 1 Udinese 0. Okafor who'd been so impressive has been sacrificed for the second half. Younes Moussa is on to try and bolster the centre of the park alongside Youssef Fofana. Paolo Fonseca hoping that his team are able to keep a clean sheet and withstand whatever Udinese throw at them in this second half. Already four defeats at the Milan helm. Udinese have work to do but they will surely have more of the ball in this second half against 10-man Milan. Big second half awaits the Rossoneri. You can already see the shape that Milan are adopting. Essentially a 4-4-1 out of possession trying to shut down all of the space between the lines and in the centre of the pitch. Zamora for Ikebrado. Emerson Royale saying he got the ball. Keenan Davis there warming up for Udinese. Pulisic takes the corner headed away by Luka. Emerson Royale and Chukwesi got in one another's way. That allows Luka to dash forward but he's not particularly quick hence why Emerson has come back and picked his pocket. They've been lacking pace in the side all night Udinese. Moussa that was risky. He's lost the ball. Davis. Ekelenkamp just got underneath it but a needless risk taken there by Younes. Moussa is surrounded by four players. Terraciano. Here's Moussa. Pulisic wants it to feed. In fact it was Fofana. I apologise. Pulisic away by Biol. Emerson Royale. Chukwesi crosses deep for Abraham and now Pulisic. If he can sort his feet out. Still Pulisic. Abraham. He somehow made a mess of it. Okoye has done enough. That was Tammy's chance to make amends. As he hurt himself in the process he's holding his shoulder. Paolo Fonseca wants Udinese to put the ball out. They're pursuing an equaliser. Daniele Chieffi now has to intervene. I think Paolo Fonseca wants a penalty. Pulisic did so well just to get a shot away in the first place. Loftus-Cheek I'm sure was coming on in any case but perhaps not necessarily in this position. He can play as a ten. So does Pulisic now operate as a false nine. Biol. Udinese having to be patient here. They haven't had too many openings. Not forced enough saves out of Mignon. Pajero playing left wing. This is Camara. Now Biol. It's a good effort and it's not far away. Well it might take something like that to break down Milan this evening. They've been toiling from open play. Biol put his boot through that. Mignon probably had it covered. Biol from deep. Again they don't beat the first man. That's criminal. Pajero. Touré. Biol reluctantly finds Zamora. His cross is deep towards Cabasele and there was Mike Mignon. Four added minutes have been played. Three remain here for Milan to stand tall. Camara. Emerson Royale got a toe to it. Pajero. Both Cabasele and Luca pointing towards Biol. It's he who chips it in. Luca got his head to it. Emerson Royale away but straight to Pajero. Zamora calling for the ball. Now it's Jordan Zamora. Just cross after cross Udinese. Biol. Camara now with the outswinger. Davis and there's Ekelenkamp and Cabasele scores. He backed against Inter and he snatched a point at Milan. And finally the pressure is told for Udinese. It's a scrappy goal but it's been a scrappy second half and Milan so close to the finish line have stumbled at the final hurdle. Cristian Cabasele the right man in the right place above all at the right time. Milan went so close but it's now dawning on them that all of their toil has been in vain. Costa and Udinese kept believing. Camara's cross wasn't dealt with. Davis did well. Pavlovic stretched. Ekelenkamp really should have scored. Credit to Mignol for making the first save and Tomori tried in vain to clear that off the line but Cabasele's head had enough purchase. And how significant will this result prove to be? The VAR check ongoing. An on-field review is on the way and Milan might yet win this game. What's the thought process here? Is Ekelenkamp offside? Is Ekelenkamp offside when Davis heads it down? Certainly not a high boot. Pavlovic was stooping into the ball. Is this a foul by Cabasele? It's nothing resembling a foul at all. Just wonder whether... Well that's not a foul either on Malik Chau by Ekelenkamp. Dare I say they seem to be clutching at straws here. The goal is disallowed for offside. Ekelenkamp are judged to be marginally the wrong side of the last defender. For the second time this evening Milan have seen an Udinese goal ruled out for offside. Kostoruniaic has had a loss as to what's come to pass. Played eight and a half added minutes. We've still got at least 90 seconds remaining. Another look at this. Semi-automatic offside technology deeming that the left toe of Jurgen Ekelenkamp was offside and therefore Milan get the job done. It's a heroic 1-0 win with 10 men for more than an hour. Samuel Chukwese's solitary goal means Milan do bounce back. Fonseca was brave with his team selection. Milan were courageous and heroic in defending their lead. They needed a couple of close shaves as well. Ehisibue and Cabasele both having the ball in the net but both goals ruled out for offside and it does mean that Milan are victorious. It ends here at San Siro. Milan 1, Udinese 0.