AC Milan suffered another disappointing Europa League outing on Thursday, losing 2-0 to Hungarian side Ferencvaros at the San Siro, with Lenny Joseph scoring twice in the second half to condemn the Italian giants to their third defeat in four matches.
The defeat further dented Milan’s hopes of progressing directly to the last 16, with the Rossoneri dropping outside the competition’s top 24 positions.
Ferencvaros dominated much of the opening half as Milan struggled to establish themselves, with sloppy passes and defensive lapses allowing the visitors to create several scoring opportunities.
Joseph was particularly threatening, forcing goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani into a series of saves. Milan, meanwhile, struggled to generate meaningful chances, with Alphadjo Cisse’s effort over the bar in the 39th minute their first shot of the game.
Milan manager Ruben Amorim responded to the disappointing first-half display by introducing Mario Gila, Diego Moreira and Christian Pulisic at the break.
The hosts showed some improvement after the restart, with Omari Hutchinson and Ramos threatening the Ferencvaros defence, but their efforts failed to produce a breakthrough.
Ferencvaros took the lead in the 52nd minute after a defensive error from Torriani.
A back-pass from Koni De Winter proved difficult for the goalkeeper to control, allowing Joseph to capitalise and slot the ball into an unguarded net.
Milan attempted to respond, with Hutchinson coming close to restoring parity, but Ferencvaros doubled their advantage in the 66th minute.
A quick counter-attack created a two-on-one situation, and Zachariassen set up Joseph for his second goal of the evening.
The visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 75th minute after substitute Yusuf was shown a red card for an elbow on Gila following a VAR review.
Despite their numerical advantage, Milan failed to mount a serious comeback, with Ferencvaros goalkeeper Dibusz making a crucial save from Hutchinson late in the game.
Ferencvaros also came close to scoring a third in stoppage time, but Madarasz’s attempt after rounding Torriani struck the side netting.
The result leaves Milan facing an increasingly difficult task in their Europa League campaign, following another disappointing performance on the European stage.
