(Football news) Defending champions AC Milan turned an early one-goal deficit into a 4-2 win over Udinese at San Siro on Saturday as they ensured a winning start to their campaign. Two goals from Ante Rebic plus goals from Theo Hernandez and Brahim Diaz helped the Rossoneri to recover from an early shock after Udinese defender Rodrigo Becao put the visitors ahead within 0 seconds into the game. The Brazilian defender nodded in a corner from a tight angle and scored for only the fifth time in the Serie. Milan equalised after 11 minutes through a penalty from Theo Hernandez, after the referee pointed to the spot following a VAR review when captain Davide Calabria was fouled.
Four minutes later the Croatian forward Rebic made it 2-1 with a powerful first-time shot but Udinese defender Adam Masina's diving header ensured that the visitors levelled just before half-time. A minute into the second half midfielder Brahim Diaz again put Milan ahead after a fatal mistake by the Udinese defence. Diaz scored from a close range after Hernandez sent a cross into the box and it bounced off Masina. The goal made Udinese fight for a comeback but Rebic smashed another shot past keeper Marco Silvestri into the top left corner in the 68th minute which put the final nail in the coffin.
Denzel Dumfries scored a last minute winner to give Inter a 2-1 win at Lecce in their first Serie A on Saturday. The ball bounced off Dumfries' chest into the net in the fifth minute of added time after striker Lautaro Martinez had nodded on a Nicolo Barella corner. Romelu Lukaku new tenure at Inter started with a bang as he scored a brilliant header two minutes into the match. The Belgian striker was instrumental in Inter's title-winning 2020-21 campaign as he returned to the club on a season-long loan from Chelsea less than a year after becoming the Premier League club's record signing. Lukaku headed the ball into the net after Matteo Darmian deflected a superb cross from defender Federico Dimarco.
Assan Ceesay made a fool out of Inter's defence by skilfully scoring an equaliser for Lecce in the 48th minute from a very tight angle. While Inter dominated possession, they spurned a host of chances to put the game out of the reach for the newly promoted side. Inzaghi then brought on strikers Joaquin Correa and Edin Dzeko in the second half to change formation to a more offensive 4-2-4 from a defensive 3-5-2. Lautaro, who was the club's top scorer last season and had the chance to head home a cross from Alessandro Bastoni in the 70th minute as the header went just wide of the left post but in the end it was his decisive touch that led to Dumfries scoring the winner.
"The team believed (in a win) until the end and this is the most important thing of the evening," Simone Inzaghi told Sky Sport Italia. We closed the game with all of our forwards on the pitch, the guys did well in believing (in a win) but the win should have been brought home sooner.”
Other results were:
- Juventus 3 (Di Maria, Vlahovic x2) – 0 Sassuolo
- Hellas Verona 2 (Lasagna, Henry) – 5 Napoli (Kvararskhelia, Osimhen, Zielinski, Lobotka,Politano)
- Salernitana 0 – 1 AS Roma (Cristante)
- Lazio 2 (De Silvestri(og), Immobile) – 1 Bologna (Arnautovic)
- Sampdoria 0 – 2 Atalanta (Toloi, Lookman)
- Fiorentina 3 (Bonaventura, Jovic, Mandragora) – 2 Cremonese (Okereke, Bianchetti)
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