AC Milan kicked off their Europa League campaign with a disappointing 2-0 home loss to Portuguese side Benfica on Wednesday.
Goals either side of halftime from Dodi Lukébakio and Jakub Kaminski at San Siro saw Marco Silva get one over former Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim.
Benfica took the lead in the 16th minute with a brilliant opener.
Kaminski’s pass found Lukebakio on the right and the winger cut inside and curled a brilliant finish into the far corner.
Read more:Haaland’s historic goals for Man City in Champions League win at Porto prove his necessity
Image Photo Agency/Getty Images
It could have been 2-0 eight minutes later when Benfica won the ball and Georgiy Sudakov drilled a low shot which hit the post.
Milan tried to respond and Filippo Terracciano’s effort brought a good save out of Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.
United States attacker Christian Pulisic, who has yet to start a game for Milan this season, came off the bench at halftime for the second straight game.
Read more:Chelsea sign goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez from Aston Villa
But unlike on Saturday, in a come-from-behind 2-2 draw with Lazio, Amorim’s halftime changes failed to spark the desired turnaround.
Benfica doubled their lead nine minutes after the restart, when Souffian El Karouani’s low cross was perfect for Kaminski to rifle home from six yards out.
Pulisic tried to pull one back for Milan but Trubin again stood strong as the Portuguese side held on.
PA contributed to this report.
