February 22, (THEWILL) – AC Milan have progressed to the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League, despite losing 3-2 to French side Stade Rennais in the second-leg match on Thursday evening. This completed a 5-3 aggregate victory over the two-legged tie for the Rossoneri.
Playing at Roazhon Park, Rennes started strongly and aggressively as they attempted to overturn the 3-0 deficit from the first match in Milan. Attacking midfielder Benjamin Bourigeaud opened the scoring for the hosts after just 11 minutes. However, Serbian striker Luka Jovic equalised with a powerful header to level it up.
The second half saw Rennes awarded a penalty, duly converted by the in-form Bourigeaud for his second of the night. Brazilian winger Rafael Leao struck back for Milan shortly afterwards to make it 2-2 on the night.
With 22 minutes remaining, another Rennes penalty allowed Bourigeaud to complete a hat-trick, but Milan had already done enough across both legs to progress.
The victory sets up a last-16 clash in March for seven-time European champions Milan, as they seek to build momentum domestically. Rennes exit the competition after a valiant effort to fight back. Stefano Pioli and his Italian team showed resilience to progress in the European competition.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
