AC Milan Passes The First Round Of The Coppa Italia: Modric Debuts, Integration Goes Well

Luka Modric made his competitive debut for AC Milan in victory in the first round of the Coppa Italia (Instagram/@acmilan).

JAKARTA - Christian Pulisic scored as AC Milan advanced to the second round of the Coppa Italia with a 2-0 win over Bari.

The United States National Team winger scored a second goal for the Rossoneri in an easy win over Serie B's opponent shortly after halftime, after hitting the crossbar in the first half.

The 26-year-old received a pass from Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez and he controlled the ball calmly to pass a helpless Michele Cerofolini.

Milan took the lead in the 14th minute when Rafael Leao headed in an accurate cross from Fikayo Tomori.

The only negative thing about that night's game was that the Portuguese was forced off the pitch a few minutes later with a calf injury, which Massimiliano Allegri hoped would not be too serious.

Pulisic was later replaced in the 66th minute by his US team-mate Yunus Musah, along with midfielders Samuele Ricci and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who made Luka Modric make his competitive debut for AC Milan after his move from Real Madrid.

The former Ballon d'Or winner joined the seven-time European champions in July 2025 after 13 seasons with Real Madrid.

Allegri, who was re-employed as AC Milan coach after winning Serie A with the Rossoneri nearly 15 years ago, was suspended when he began a two-match ban due to a gross tantrum aimed at the referee in the 2024 Coppa Italia final when he was Juventus manager, a tantrum that fired him.

Although he did not accompany the team on the sidelines, he could see how the integration of new and old players in the team had gone well.

"The Coppa Italia is a target this season. The new players have been well integrated," he said after the game at Sportmediaset.

AC Milan is usually one of the top eight seeds for the opening round of the Coppa Italia, giving themBecause until December 2025.

However, the Rossoneri finished eighth in Serie A for the 2024/2025 season and lost in the Coppa Italia final to Bologna.

It also designated Bologna as the top seed even though they finished ninth in Serie A last season and pushed AC Milan into the early stages of the Coppa Italia 2025/2026.

Apart from that, Allegri can now prepare for their first Serie A match to return as AC Milan coach when his team host Cremonese at the San Siro on August 23, 2025.