Milan won 3-0 against their visitors Monza in today’s Serie A match on Sunday, with Jan Carlo Simic scoring on his first appearance for the team. Milan took an early lead in the third minute after a solo run from Tijani Reijnders, who dribbled past three Monza players to penetrate the area and shot the ball between the legs of goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio.
The hosts doubled their lead in the 41st minute when Rafael Leão sent the ball towards the goal from the right side, where substitute Jan Carlo Simic managed to get to it before Lorenzo Colombo and placed it in the back of the net. Milan secured the three points in the 76th minute with a brilliant effort capped off by another substitute, Noah Okafor.
After the victory, Milan remained in third place in the standings with 32 points, reducing the gap with second-placed Juventus to five points. Monza sits in 11th place with 21 points.
Things could have gotten worse for Monza before the end of the first half when Christian Pulisic broke into the penalty area from the right and sent a shot that hit the crossbar. Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan faced the first serious opportunity of the match in the 61st minute when defender Fikayo Tomori attempted to clear the ball, which fell to Andrea Colpani, who sent a close-range shot that was saved by the goalkeeper.
Milan confirmed their three points in the 76th minute after a dazzling run from Reijnders, who dribbled past Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro before passing the ball to Olivier Giroud inside the penalty area, who assisted the unmarked Okafor to shoot directly into the net. Okafor, who came on for Leão just under ten minutes before scoring, left the pitch injured four minutes after his goal, adding to the injury woes faced by coach Pioli.
Pioli told Sky Sports, "It seems that Pobega is having a thigh problem while Okafor might be a bit fatigued or suffering from a muscle cramp. He just recovered from an issue in his other leg and we hope it’s not serious."
