Leverkusen defeats Milan by a close margin: Leverkusen, the Bundesliga winner, leads with six points after thrashing Feyenoord 4-0 in its first match, while Milan endured a 3-1 loss to Liverpool on the road in its first outing.
Victor Boniface of Bayer Leverkusen was the player who scored in the second half to lead his club to a 1-0 Champions League triumph over AC Milan at home on Tuesday. The German team is off to a perfect start, while the Italian power is still minus a point.
Leverkusen, the 2018-19 Bundesliga champion, leads without six points after defeating the rivals Fey 4-0 in its first the game, while Milan experienced a 3-1 loss to Istanbul at home in its opening outing.
Six minutes after the half, Boniface scored the sole goal at the BayArena when Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan parried a shot from Jeremie Frimpong.
It was no more than the home team deserved during a first half in which Milan found it difficult to establish a footing in the game and the home team dominated possession and chances but was unable to find a way past Maignan.
The goal gave the visiting team motivation to play, and it pinned Leverkusen back for extended portions of the second half in an attempt to score an equalizer, but it lost to them for the second time in its first two tournament games.
Leverkusen defeats Milan by a close margin:
In the first few minutes of play, Leverkusen had two early opportunities, but Maignan turned away Boniface’s shot and then denied Piero Hincapie’s header from the next corner.
The ball was in the net when Boniface collected a pass on the flank to throw in a cross, but Frimpong was offside. The home team pushed forward at every chance and appeared to have found a way through.
Although Frimpong wasted opportunities on the rebound both times, Maignan kept Milan in the game by making saves against Alex Grimaldo and Florian Wirtz. When Boniface had the chance, he took it with both hands.
Leverkusen led when Grimaldo’s backheeled pass set up Frimpong for the shot, which Maignan again managed to get a hand on. However, Boniface had the easiest of opportunities from close range.
Before the game, Milan manager Paulo Fonseca stated that he did not want to put Alvaro Morata at risk right away. However, with his side hunting for an equaliser, the Spanish striker was substituted on for Tammy Abraham in the 62nd minute.
Morata was given the opportunity to make his debut count as Theo Hernandez’s long-range attempt was deflected and rebounded against the crossbar. Morata headed the rebound, but it missed the far post.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek had another late opportunity for Milan to pull off an equalizer, but Leverkusen’s Lukas Hradecky stopped it, and the home team hung on to win all three points.
