AC Milan’s Serie A title ambitions suffered a severe setback as Parma stunned the Rossoneri with a 1-0 triumph at San Siro, ending Milan’s remarkable 24-match unbeaten league run and leaving them 10 points behind leaders Inter Milan.
The hosts knew nothing short of victory would suffice, especially after Inter’s win over Lecce the previous day.
Early on, Parma nearly shocked Milan when Mateo Pellegrino’s first-time strike deflected just wide, only for Mike Maigan to block the Argentine on the subsequent corner.
The afternoon went from bad to worse for Massimiliano Allegri’s side when Ruben Loftus-Cheek was forced off on a stretcher following a collision with Parma goalkeeper Edoardo Corvi. Ardon Jashari came on but struggled to make an impact, with his tame shot easily held by Corvi.
Milan showed signs of life in the latter stages of the first half, as Christian Pulisic and Jashari both tested the Parma keeper. Pulisic’s attempt from Adrien Rabiot’s header, however, scuffed wide, leaving the first 45 minutes largely underwhelming.
After the break, Milan pressed hard, only to be repeatedly denied. Corvi pulled off a brilliant stop to foil Rafael Leao, and Mariano Troilo’s timely defensive block kept Pulisic at bay on the rebound. Leao’s frustration was evident when his sliding effort smashed against the post, and Milan’s inability to create clear-cut chances continued.
A promising opportunity fell to Strahinja Pavlovic, whose header from Davide Bartesaghi’s free-kick missed target, a miss that would prove costly.
Parma capitalized late when Troilo powered home a header from Emanuele Valeri’s corner.
Initially ruled out, the goal was confirmed after a tense VAR review, leaving San Siro stunned. Parma held on despite late pressure, with substitute Niclas Fullkrug flashing a stoppage-time chance wide.
The result marked Milan’s second home league defeat of the season and dealt a serious blow to their Scudetto aspirations.
Meanwhile, Parma’s disciplined display earned them three consecutive top-flight wins for the first time since March 2014, propelling them up three spots to 12th in the table.
