Five Milan stars of ‘historic’ Real Madrid victory incl. ‘world-class’ Leao | OneFootball

Milan rose to a surprise 3-1 victory away against the current Champions League holders Real Madrid on Tuesday night thanks to a handful of standout performances, including a ‘world-class’ showing from the recently out-of-favour Rafael Leao.

Here are five standout performers from the memorable night in Madrid.

AC Milan’s Alvaro Morata (L) celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the UEFA Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and AC Milan, in Madrid, Spain, 05 November 2024. EPA-EFE/Juanjo Martin

Five Milan stars against Real Madrid

Though he wasn’t on the scoresheet, many outlets in Italy have Leao down as the player of the match. His shot led to Alvaro Morata’s goal to make it 2-1, and he then made a fantastic run to set up Tijjani Reijnders for his side’s third of the night.

La Gazzetta dello Sport labelled Leao’s performance ‘world-class’ in their post-match round-up, which comes as quite the compliment given that he recently spent three consecutive Serie A matches on the bench after falling out of favour.

The aforementioned Morata and Reijnders are two players who have also earned praise in the Italian press in the aftermath of the Madrid victory.

Morata has now scored more goals against Madrid than any other side in his career, which is quite the feat given that he spent five years of his senior career with Los Blancos.

Reijnders, meanwhile, has gone from strength to strength since his arrival from AZ Alkmaar last summer, and some outlets suggest that Premier League sides including Tottenham Hotspur are beginning to take notice ahead of the next transfer window.

Goalkeeper Mike Maignan was also at his best against his international colleague Kylian Mbappé on Tuesday night. The Frenchman had to hold firm to keep Milan ahead at certain points, even if Mbappé squandered a couple of his chances when through on goal.

There was also particular praise for Yunus Musah, who was selected despite not being a regular in Fonseca’s starting line-up. He brought strength and energy to the Milan midfield, and was particularly useful in defensive phases, helping Emerson Royal to double up on Vinicius Jr.