AC Milan returned to winning ways in the UEFA Europa League with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Salzburg in their second league-phase fixture on Thursday, October 15.
The Italian giants delivered an impressive performance at the Red Bull Arena, with teenage forward Alphadjo Cisse scoring a hat-trick to inspire the visitors to a convincing victory.
The result provided a timely boost for Milan following their draw against Sassuolo and a 2-0 defeat to Benfica in their opening European fixture.
Milan head coach Ruben Amorim made several changes to his starting lineup, handing opportunities to fringe players, including Francesco Camarda, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ardon Jashari, Alphadjo Cisse and Omari Hutchinson.
The decision paid off as the visitors controlled proceedings and capitalised on Salzburg’s defensive shortcomings.
Cisse opened the scoring in the 15th minute, finishing Hutchinson’s cross after making a well-timed run into the penalty area.
The forward doubled Milan’s advantage in the 33rd minute, converting a delivery from Davide Bartesaghi, who volleyed the ball into the danger area after receiving an excellent pass from Adrien Rabiot.
Salzburg struggled to respond, while Milan continued to threaten with their attacking movement and ability to exploit spaces in the hosts’ defence.
Cisse completed his hat-trick four minutes after the restart, finishing from close range following a move involving Strahinja Pavlovic, Loftus-Cheek and Rabiot.
The goal was initially subjected to a lengthy Video Assistant Referee review over a possible offside offence, but the officials allowed it to stand.
The treble made Cisse the youngest Italian player to score a hat-trick in the competition, according to the report.
It was also Milan’s first hat-trick in the Europa League since Andre Silva scored three times against Austria Vienna in 2017.
Salzburg attempted to find a way back into the contest but struggled to create clear-cut opportunities against the visitors.
Milan added a fourth goal in the 72nd minute when Jashari recovered possession near the edge of the penalty area before setting up Goncalo Ramos, who finished confidently past the goalkeeper.
However, the visitors ended the match with 10 men after Filippo Terracciano received a straight red card in the 83rd minute for pushing Salzburg’s Schmid from behind during a counterattack.
Despite the dismissal, Milan comfortably secured all three points, strengthening their position in the Europa League standings and improving their prospects of reaching the knockout stages.
The victory also offered encouragement for Amorim as his side seeks to build momentum in both domestic and European competitions.
