Milan Nel Cuore
The response finally arrived. At the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, on Serie A matchday 37, Massimiliano Allegri's AC Milan walked out of the Marassi with three points, beating Daniele De Rossi's Genoa by 1-2. The goals came from Christopher Nkunku from the penalty spot at the 50th minute and from Zachary Athekame at 81' with an assist from substitute Christian Pulisic; Johan Vásquez pulled one back at 86', but the Rossoneri managed the final minutes and took home a result that weighs a season. A gutsy, mature win after the back-to-back losses to Sassuolo and Atalanta: AC Milan climb to third place and now only need to beat Cagliari next Sunday at San Siro to mathematically lock in qualification to the 2026/27 Champions League. The match was also marked by an interruption: a wave of smoke flares from the Genoa supporters' stand forced referee Sozza to suspend play for around five minutes.
Match report: Nkunku penalty, Athekame screamer and a managed finish at the Marassi
The tactical setup confirmed AC Milan in a 3-5-2 with a couple of surprises from the pre-match buzz. In front of Mike Maignan the back three featured Fikayo Tomori — back from suspension — with Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlović. On the flanks, a first Marassi start for young Swiss right wing-back Zachary Athekame and Davide Bartesaghi on the left. In midfield Allegri chose Youssouf Fofana and Ardon Jashari alongside Adrien Rabiot, with Santiago Giménez and Christopher Nkunku as the strike partnership. De Rossi replied with a 4-3-2-1 built around Lorenzo Colombo as the lone striker, supported by Tommaso Baldanzi and Vitinha.
The first half ended 0-0: plenty of possession in midfield, few real chances. AC Milan dominated the ball without finding a way through; Genoa sat deep and looked for Vitinha and Colombo — a Milan academy product motivated against his former club — on the counter. The deadlock broke seconds after the restart: at the 48th minute Nkunku won a yard inside the penalty area and was brought down on the rush by goalkeeper Justin Bijlow. Sozza pointed to the spot and booked the Dutchman. The Frenchman himself stepped up and at 50' converted with composure, sending the keeper the wrong way: 0-1, the Marassi silenced.
Minutes after Milan's opener, the Genoa supporters' end launched a series of smoke flares that drifted onto the pitch, reducing visibility especially in the Rossoneri's defensive half. After consulting with his officials and the stewards, referee Sozza suspended play for around five minutes while the smoke cleared. A coin was also thrown from the stands and collected from the field of play; Mike Maignan had to move temporarily away from his goal. Play restarted with a Genoa free-kick. AC Milan kept their shape: at 68' Allegri made a double switch (Samuele Ricci for Fofana, Niclas Füllkrug for Giménez) and at 75' another double (Pulisic for Nkunku, Koni De Winter for Tomori).
The decisive moment came at 81': Pulisic delivered a cross from the right, Füllkrug laid the ball off at the top of the box and Athekame unleashed a powerful left-footed shot from distance into the far corner. A huge goal from the young Swiss wing-back — a moment that defined the night. At 85' Ruben Loftus-Cheek replaced Jashari, but a minute later Genoa found a consolation: at 86' Johan Vásquez pulled one back to make it 1-2. From there, AC Milan barely conceded another sniff in the closing minutes and stoppage time and brought home a win that mattered more than three points.
AC Milan player ratings: Nkunku and Maignan lead the way, Pavlović still the most reliable
The marks below are based on the ratings published by Eurosport (Milan side only).
AC Milan player ratings — starters
Maignan 7 — In the first half he kept his usual composure between the posts during a flat opening 45 from the team, always alert on his line and impeccable in reading the play. Calm authority throughout.
Tomori 5 — A flat performance: poor concentration, too many horizontal passes. Allegri pulled him off at 75'.
Gabbia 6 — Solid central reading despite taking a knock to the back early in the second half. Clean challenges and good leadership.
Pavlović 6.5 — Best Milan defender on the pitch. Sharp recoveries, willingness to step forward, leadership on the back line.
Athekame 6.5 — Struggled in the first half against Vásquez, but redeemed himself in style at 81': a wonderful left-footed finish from outside the box. A night that could change his season.
Fofana 5 — A flat day for the French midfielder. Unable to drive cleanly with the ball, left gaps in the middle. Replaced at 68'.
Jashari 6.5 — Started nervously but grew into the game with better decisions and well-timed recoveries. His most convincing AC Milan performance to date.
Rabiot 5 — “Up to now he was one of Milan's certainties”: a quiet night, missing some passes that a month ago he would have hit blindfolded.
Bartesaghi 5.5 — Struggled defensively against Ellertsson's thrust, but obvious room for growth in a youngster the club continues to invest in.
Giménez 4.5 — “An unidentified object on the pitch”: unable to hold the ball, never turned, never won a knock-down. Off at 68'.
Nkunku 7 — Man of the match. Started quietly but grew sharper as the half progressed. Won the penalty with a sharp personal initiative and converted it with composure. Lively, brave, decisive.
AC Milan player ratings — substitutes
Ricci 5.5 — Came on at 68', picked up an avoidable yellow at 86'. Limited cameo, limited impact.
Füllkrug 6 — Provided the headed lay-off for Athekame's goal — a piece of pure centre-forward intelligence. Didn't create other chances, but the touch on the 2-0 was there.
Pulisic 6.5 — On at 75', six minutes later he produced the assist for the killer goal. Decisive again at the crucial moments of the season.
De Winter 6 — On at 75' for Tomori, kept his composure through the closing stretch and saw nothing slip past.
Loftus-Cheek — Came on at 85' for Jashari, too brief to grade.
Head coach
Allegri 6.5 — The team lacked bite in the first half but returned from the dressing room transformed. The substitutions (Ricci, Füllkrug, Pulisic, De Winter) were spot-on in timing and personnel. AC Milan win and reset: a quieter week at Milanello awaits.
Genoa 1-2 AC Milan match facts
Match facts
Genoa 1 — AC Milan 2 (0-0 at half-time)
Scorers: Nkunku 50' pen. (M), Athekame 81' (M), Vásquez 86' (G)
Genoa (4-3-2-1): Bijlow; Ellertsson, Marcandalli, Otoa, Vásquez; Malinovskyi, Amorim (90' Martín), Frendrup; Baldanzi, Vitinha; Colombo (85' Ekuban). Head coach: De Rossi.
AC Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori (75' De Winter), Gabbia, Pavlović; Athekame, Fofana (68' Ricci), Jashari (85' Loftus-Cheek), Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Giménez (68' Füllkrug), Nkunku (75' Pulisic). Head coach: Allegri.
Referee: Sozza.
Bookings: Bijlow (49'), Gabbia (63'), Vitinha (64'), Tomori (71'), Ricci (86').
Note: match suspended for around 5 minutes after Nkunku's goal due to smoke flares from the Genoa supporters' stand.
The smoke-flare incident: five-minute stoppage and a coin on the pitch
The Marassi made headlines for more than the football. Immediately after Nkunku's opener, the Genoa supporters' end lit a series of smoke flares that drifted onto the pitch, reducing visibility especially in the Rossoneri's defensive half. After consulting with his officials and the stewards, referee Sozza suspended play for around five minutes while the smoke cleared and the surface returned to playable conditions.
During the stoppage the stadium announcer called for calm. A coin thrown from the stands was also collected from the pitch, while Mike Maignan was forced to move temporarily away from his goal. Play resumed with a Genoa free-kick. The incident will be reported to the Italian FA's Prosecutor's Office and could lead to disciplinary action for the home club: the rulings from the Disciplinary Judge are now awaited.
Serie A table: AC Milan climb to third, Champions League within touching distance
The Marassi win revives the Rossoneri's Champions League chase. AC Milan climb to third place in Serie A and now hold their own fate going into the final matchday: on Sunday 24 May at San Siro against Cagliari, a win mathematically secures qualification to the next Champions League, regardless of what direct rivals do. A clean week of work at Milanello to arrive at kick-off in the best possible physical and mental condition.
The headline number, however, is not just the league position: it is the fourth consecutive AC Milan win at the Marassi against Genoa across the last four league trips. After the 1-2 on 5 May 2025, the 0-1 on 7 October 2023 and the emphatic 0-3 on 1 December 2021, today's 1-2 on 17 May 2026 joins the list: a ground that continues to smile on the Rossoneri. The difference this time is that AC Milan arrived in a deep crisis — four defeats in the last six matchdays, two of them back-to-back — and the result therefore weighs twice as much for the morale it brings.
Next up: AC Milan vs Cagliari, the final-day decider at San Siro
Attention now shifts to matchday 38 of Serie A, the season finale. AC Milan host Cagliari at San Siro on Sunday 24 May 2026 in what is effectively a Champions League final: a win means mathematical qualification to next season's premier European competition, with all the sporting, financial and transfer-market implications that come with it. The week of preparation will be crucial, but Allegri's tactical choices appear to have finally settled into a credible shape: the 3-5-2 with two mobile forwards, a hard-working midfield and width on the flanks worked at Marassi.
On the discipline front, AC Milan must monitor the list of bookings: Gabbia, Tomori and Ricci all picked up yellows in Genoa, with possible suspensions for accumulated cautions to be confirmed by the Disciplinary Judge. Back into selection after serving their suspensions are Pervis Estupiñán, Rafael Leao and Alexis Saelemaekers, plus a possible return for Luka Modrić. A deep squad again, with Allegri facing tough selection calls in a match that decides a season and a large chunk of the club's summer ahead.
Three points that weigh far more than three points and a Champions League berth within touching distance. AC Milan leave the Marassi with a smile that has been missing for a month: clinical at the key moments, intelligent in the substitutions, brave in the closing stages. The Cagliari match is now the real final of the Rossoneri season: it all comes down to ninety minutes next Sunday at San Siro.
Forza Milan, sempre.