AC Milan started the new year with a satisfying result after defeating Cagliari 1-0 in an Italian Serie A match at the San't Elia Stadium, Saturday, January 3, 2026 WIB. The victory through Rafael Leao's goal brought Milan to the top of the standings.
New Year 2026 presents a new competition that is no less tight in the Italian League. Milan who started the first battle in this year immediately picked up a satisfactory result when visiting Cagliari's home.
In the duel, coach Massimiliano Allegri actually couldn't field the best squad. He was forced to change the composition of the team by putting Leao as a 'false nine' to replace the duo of Christian Pulisic and Christopher Nkunku who were not played. Nkunku and Santiago Gimenez were forced to miss the match due to injury.
Meanwhile, Pulisic started the match by sitting on the bench. Likewise, the new player Niclas Fullkrug who was loaned from West Ham United was not immediately a starter. Even though he is on loan, the recruitment of this 32-year-old German national team player is expected to increase Milan's power.
In that match, Milan had difficulty facing Cagliari who had good capital after drawing 2-2 against Pisa. In fact, in the last match of 2025, Cagliari defeated host Torino 2-1.
Even the hosts were able to put pressure and get good opportunities through Michel Adopo. Only Adopo's header could be stopped by goalkeeper Mike Maignan. Previously, Cagliari got chances through Matteo Pratti and Marco Palestra who also failed to score.
Milan themselves slowly began to rise and get out of the pressure. They began to take the initiative to attack and got the opportunity through Leao who received a cross from Alexis Saelemaekers. Only the Portuguese national team player's shot could be stopped by defender Sebastiano Luperto.
Milan actually almost got a penalty when defender Juan Rodriguez made a mistake by bringing down midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the penalty box.
Only the referee ignored the offense because Leao was already in an offside position. The score remained tied without goals until the first half ended.
Entering the second half, Milan who had started to heat up immediately put pressure. This time Luka Modric's attack forced Cagliari to pay attention to the defense sector. Even Leao almost broke the host's goal. But his kick still hit the goalpost.
Then it was Loftus-Cheek's turn to escape the offside trap when he greeted Alexis Saelemaekers' cross. Only his efforts still did not bear fruit.
After several failed attempts, Milan finally broke the deadlock. When the match entered the 50th minute, Leao managed to break into the Cagliari goal. The goal started from a pass from Adrien Rabiot to Youssouf Fofana who then delivered a cross into the goal.
Defender Gabriele Zappa actually tried to intercept the ball. However, his efforts failed. Leao who received the ball then controlled it for a moment before shooting into the top corner of the goal which brought the Rossoneri 1-0 ahead.
The first goal in 2026 was Leao's 12th during the competition this season. Shortly afterwards, Leao was pulled out and replaced by Fullkrug who made his debut just a few hours after officially joining Milan.
Allegri also included Pulisic who replaced Loftus-Cheek. In fact, he almost increased Milan's lead when he received a pass from Fullkrug. However, his shot could be stopped by goalkeeper Elia Caprile. The score 1-0 for Milan lasted until the end of the match.
The victory brought Milan to the top of the standings. With 38 points, Milan, who are two points ahead, managed to displace their one-city rival, Inter Milan, who dropped to second place. However, Inter will return to the top if they beat guests Bologna.
Meanwhile, Cagliari is still in the middle of the table. They are ranked 14th with 18 points. Six points ahead of Hellas Verona who are in the top position of the team in the relegation zone.
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