How Chukwueze’s AC Milan defeated Inter Milan to claim 50th club trophy in Saudi Arabia

• Despite the absence of injured Super Eagles star Chukwueze, AC Milan fought hard to defeat rival Inter Milan to claim the Supercoppa trophy
• Lautaro Martinez and Mehdi Taremi gave Inter a commanding 2-0 lead before Milan's remarkable turnaround
• After Theo Hernandez's goal, Christian Pulisic equalised with a brilliant finish, before Tammy Abraham’s late winner

Italian giants AC Milan staged a dramatic comeback to defeat bitter rivals Inter Milan 3-2 and lift the Supercoppa Italiana, securing their 50th club trophy in a thrilling encounter in Saudi Arabia on Monday night, January 6. 

The Rossoneri fought back from two goals down, delivering a stunning performance in just two games from the appointment of new coach Sergio Conceicao.

Inter took early control of the match with goals from Lautaro Martinez and Mehdi Taremi, leaving AC Milan staring at a fourth consecutive Super Cup defeat. But Milan resurrected back from their sleep in the second half, with Theo Hernandez, Christian Pulisic, and Tammy Abraham delivering timely goals to seal a remarkable victory.

Inter looked sharp from the start, pressing high and unsettling Milan’s defence. Lautaro Martinez scored just before half-time, pouncing on a defensive lapse to fire his side ahead. Mehdi Taremi doubled the lead shortly after the break, finishing coolly after a long ball from Stefan De Vrij split the Milan centre-backs.

Milan’s sluggish start and defensive frailties seemed to have handed the trophy to their city rivals. But new head coach Sergio Conceicao responded immediately, bringing on Rafael Leao to add depth to the attack.

The turnaround began in the 55th minute when Theo Hernandez curled in a brilliant free-kick from 20 yards, giving Milan a glimpse of hope. The Frenchman’s strike ignited belief among the players and fans, and Milan continued to pile on the pressure.

Christian Pulisic came close to equalising with a header, but Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer denied him with a reflex save. Moments later, Rafael Leao weaved past defenders to create another opportunity, but Alessandro Bastoni blocked Tijjani Reijnders’ effort.

Milan’s persistence paid off in the 79th minute when Theo Hernandez provided a pinpoint cut-back into the box, and Pulisic calmly slotted the ball into the far corner to make it 2-2.

Just as the match appeared destined for penalties, Milan produced one final moment of brilliance. In stoppage time, Pulisic sent a perfectly weighted through ball to Leao, who squared it to Tammy Abraham for an easy tap-in.

After the game AC Milan's head coach, Sergio Conceicao, shared his thoughts on the 3-2 victory over Inter in the Italian Super Cup final,

“I'm very happy for the players because it wasn’t easy, and the atmosphere was not the best. We only had a few days to work on important details for me, and we faced two very strong teams.”

“We fixed two or three aspects of our attacking phase but conceded two serious blows: a goal in added time of the first half after a throw-in and a second due to a misread situation. However, this shows that this Milan have character. We managed to come back against two strong teams. At halftime, the coach must step in and correct things, that’s what I’m paid for,” the coach added.

“We improved after Chukwueze came on,” Milan coach hails Super Eagles star after win

Previously, TheRadar reported that Dutch playmaker Tijjani Reijnders lit up AC Milan’s Champions League opener with a brace, steering the Rossoneri to a 3-1 triumph over Club Brugge at the San Siro.

The coach also admitted that it was “when Okafor and Chukwueze came on, the game changed; they brought fresh energy, and the team gained intensity.”