Bournemouth secured an emphatic 3-0 victory over AC Milan in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, capitalising on a first-half red card and two penalties before adding a late third goal at the Vitality Stadium.
Justin Kluivert opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the eighth minute before Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan was sent off for violent conduct in the 27th minute, leaving the visitors with 10 men.
Bournemouth took advantage of their numerical superiority five minutes later when Marcus Tavernier converted another penalty in the 32nd minute to double the hosts’ lead.
Amine Adli completed the victory in the 84th minute, curling a left-footed free kick into the bottom corner to seal an impressive performance by the Premier League side.
The hosts dominated proceedings, registering 20 shots against Milan’s three and forcing seven attempts on target.
The Italian side, meanwhile, failed to record a single shot on target throughout the encounter.
Bournemouth also enjoyed 64 per cent possession and completed 451 passes, compared with Milan’s 228 accurate passes, underlining their control of the contest.
Maignan’s dismissal proved a major turning point, with Milan struggling to contain Bournemouth after going a man down.
Substitute goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani was introduced following the red card but conceded Tavernier’s penalty shortly afterwards.
Despite making defensive interventions to prevent a heavier defeat, Milan struggled to create meaningful opportunities and could not recover from the early setbacks.
António Silva was named Player of the Match after an influential display for Bournemouth, completing 94 of his 97 passes and contributing defensively as the hosts secured a convincing European victory.
