UCL: AC Milan Recover to Defeat Brugge 3-1

Reijnders' Brace Lifts AC Milan Past 10-Man Brugge

Reijnders doubled his tally, converting Samuel Chukwueze's cross...

Tijjani Reijnders' second-half brace propelled AC Milan past Brugge, despite the Belgian side's impressive early display.

AC Milan overcame a nervy start to defeat 10-man Club Brugge 3-1, thanks to Tijjani Reijnders' brilliant second-half brace.

Club Brugge made a promising start, with Christos Tzolis' curling effort denied by Mike Maignan's exceptional save. However, AC Milan seized the initiative when Christian Pulisic's inswinging corner caught Brugge off guard, sailing directly into the net.

The turning point came when Raphael Onyedika received his marching orders after a VAR review, following a reckless challenge on Reijnders. Despite being down to 10 men, Brugge equalized through Kyriani Sabbe's impressive strike, becoming the fourth teenager to score against Milan in the Champions League.

Milan boss Paulo Fonseca's decision to substitute Rafael Leao was met with discontent from the home crowd, but his replacement, Noah Okafor, swiftly made an impact. Okafor's darting run down the left flank culminated in a precise cutback for Reijnders to side-foot home.

Reijnders doubled his tally, converting Samuel Chukwueze's cross to seal the win for AC Milan. The match also saw history made as 16-year-old Francesco Camarda became the youngest Italian player to feature in the Champions League.

Highlights:

• Tijjani Reijnders' two second-half goals
• Christian Pulisic's direct corner goal Raphael Onyedika's red card
• Kyriani Sabbe's equalizing goal
• Noah Okafor's assist on Reijnders' first goal
• Francesco Camarda's Champions League debut at 16 years and 226 days.