MILAN vs COMO 2-1 | HIGHLIGHTS | Reijnders Masterclass Behind AC Milan Win! | Serie A 2024/25
MILAN vs COMO
On a chilly Saturday evening at the San Siro, March 15, 2025, AC Milan staged a dramatic 2-1 comeback against Como in Serie A, a victory fueled by second-half strikes from Christian Pulisic and Tijjani Reijnders that turned the tide after a first half dominated by the visitors. The match was a rollercoaster of emotions for the Milan faithful, who witnessed their team claw back from a deficit, only for the drama to peak in stoppage time with the sending-off of Como’s Dele Alli, marking an ignominious return to competitive football for the former England star after a two-year absence. The win was a much-needed boost for Milan, who have endured a season of maddening inconsistency under manager Sérgio Conceição, and it kept their faint hopes of Champions League qualification alive, though the road ahead remains fraught with challenges. For Como, the defeat was another chapter in a campaign riddled with misfortune, their spirited performance undone by late capitulation and ill-discipline, leaving them anchored in mid-table mediocrity despite flashes of promise.
The result left Milan in seventh place with 47 points, a tally that reflects their Jekyll-and-Hyde form throughout the season—capable of brilliance one moment and bewildering errors the next. They trail fourth-placed Juventus by five points, with the Turin giants set to face Fiorentina on Sunday in a match that could either widen or narrow the gap to the final Champions League berth. Como, meanwhile, sit 13th with 29 points, a respectable haul for a side battling to establish themselves in Serie A, but one that belies the frustration of a season where fine margins have consistently gone against them. The San Siro clash encapsulated this narrative perfectly, as Milan’s resilience and individual quality ultimately trumped Como’s early dominance, with the late red card to Alli serving as a microcosm of the visitors’ propensity for self-inflicted wounds. For Milan, it was a second consecutive league win after three straight defeats, a flicker of momentum that Reijnders and his teammates desperately hope to build upon as the campaign enters its decisive phase.
The match itself was a tale of two halves, with Milan starting brightly, their attacking intent evident from the opening whistle. Just five minutes in, Yunus Musah showcased his pace and guile, latching onto a through ball and rounding Como goalkeeper Jean Butez with a deft touch. The San Siro held its breath as the American bore down on goal, only for the angle to tighten cruelly, his shot drifting agonizingly wide of the far post—a miss that would prove emblematic of Milan’s early profligacy. Despite their dominance, the hosts were rocked after 33 minutes when Lucas Da Cunha silenced the raucous crowd with a moment of sublime skill. Picking up the ball on the edge of the area, the Como winger unleashed a precise, curling left-footed strike that arrowed into the bottom corner, leaving Mike Maignan rooted to the spot and sparking wild celebrations among the modest contingent of away fans. It was a goal that underscored Como’s threat on the counter, their ability to punish Milan’s wastefulness, and it shifted the momentum decisively in the visitors’ favor as the first half wore on.
Como nearly doubled their lead just before the interval, capitalizing on a defensive lapse that left Marc-Oliver Kempf with a golden opportunity from close range. The German rose unmarked to meet a pinpoint cross, only for Maignan to produce a breathtaking point-blank save, flinging himself across the goal to claw the ball away and keep Milan in the contest. It was a moment of brilliance from the French goalkeeper, a lifeline for his team when all seemed lost, and it ensured the deficit remained at one as the players trudged off for the break. The San Siro buzzed with a mix of frustration and hope—frustration at their team’s inability to convert early pressure into goals, and hope that Maignan’s heroics might yet prove the turning point. For Como, it was a missed chance to put the game beyond reach, a recurring theme in a season where they have struggled to kill off opponents when in the ascendancy.
The second half began with Como believing they had struck again, as Da Cunha thought he had bagged his brace six minutes after the restart, slotting home after a swift break. The celebrations, however, were cut short by VAR, which ruled the goal out for a marginal offside—a decision that swung the pendulum back toward Milan. Within two minutes, Pulisic seized the moment, leveling the score with a strike that oozed class and composure. Latching onto a deflected cross, the American struck a venomous half-volley from a tight angle, the ball fizzing just inside the far post past a helpless Butez. It was Pulisic’s second consecutive match-defining performance, following his brace in Milan’s 3-2 comeback win over Lecce the previous weekend, and it ignited the San Siro, the crowd sensing a turnaround was in the offing. The momentum was now firmly with the hosts, and Reijnders completed the reversal in the 75th minute, pouncing on a loose ball in the box to stab home from close range—a goal that sent the home fans into delirium and eased the mounting pressure on Conceição’s shoulders.
The victory, however, was not without its late drama, as Como’s misery was compounded in stoppage time by the dismissal of Dele Alli, a moment that overshadowed his long-awaited return to competitive action. The former Tottenham and England star, who had not played since February 2023 during a loan spell at Besiktas, joined Como in January hoping to resurrect a career derailed by injuries and fitness struggles. Introduced as a late substitute, Alli’s cameo lasted mere minutes before he was shown a straight red card for stamping on Milan’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek in a reckless challenge that left referee Marco Di Bello with no choice but to send him off. The incident prompted chaos on the Como bench, with coach Cesc Fabregas also dismissed for dissent as he vented his fury at the officials. Post-match, Fabregas offered a candid assessment, lamenting Alli’s “serious mistake” and its cost to a team that might have snatched a point. “Dele Alli is a goal scorer, I tried to give him an opportunity,” he told DAZN. “Clear red, he left the team at a time when it could have made it 2-2.”
For Milan, the win was a lifeline, but Reijnders was quick to highlight the broader issues plaguing their season. “This is something we are suffering this season,” he said, reflecting on their inconsistency. “I don’t think it’s sharpness, but we are making personal mistakes and these things can’t happen when you are playing for Milan. We have to improve, and right now is the best moment to do it.” His words carried the weight of a player weary of the same old story—moments of brilliance undermined by lapses that have left Milan scrambling to salvage their campaign. For Como, Fabregas remained defiant despite the setback, insisting, “It has been an unlucky season, so many small details that hurt. I never give up, I’m positive and we always move forward.” The match, in all its twists and turns, was a microcosm of both teams’ seasons—Milan’s flashes of quality tempered by fragility, and Como’s pluck undone by misfortune and indiscipline—leaving the San Siro with a result that offered hope for one and despair for the other.
