Bournemouth Beat 10-Man AC Milan 3-0 as Adli Seals Europa League Win
Amine Adli struck a superb late free-kick as Bournemouth completed a 3-0 Europa League win over 10-man AC Milan at the Vitality Stadium, with Andoni Rose’s side making their numerical advantage count after Mike Maignan’s 28th-minute dismissal.
Bournemouth turn early pressure into control
The Cherries had already established the pattern of the match before Milan lost their goalkeeper. Justin Kluivert converted a penalty in the eighth minute after Bournemouth’s aggressive midfield pressure unsettled the visitors, and a second first-half spot-kick left Milan 2-0 down by the interval.
- Rose set Bournemouth up in a flexible 4-4-2 that often became a narrow 4-2-2-2 when attacking.
- Michele Di Gregorio’s passing was used to reach advanced full-backs Adrien Truffert and James Hill.
- Kluivert and Marcus Tavernier moved inside, crowding central zones and dragging Milan’s wing-backs away from the touchline.
- Tyler Adams and Ryan Christie waited for passes into Ardon Jashari before pressing together and hunting turnovers.
- A compact middle block also prevented Ruben Loftus-Cheek from carrying the ball through midfield.
Bournemouth’s wide attackers repeatedly exposed the spaces left by Milan’s wing-backs. Ben Gannon-Doak’s speed and Evanilson’s movement put Strahinja Pavlovic and Fikayo Tomori under sustained pressure in one-on-one situations, helping to create the disorder that led to the two penalties.
Maignan red card forces Milan into retreat
Ruben Amorim had started with a 3-4-3, using Jashari and Yunus Musah as the base of a three-man build-up and asking Diego Moreira and Pervis Estupinan to provide width. The plan was intended to open room between Bournemouth’s midfielders for Omari Hutchinson and Loftus-Cheek.
Instead, Milan moved the ball around the outside of Bournemouth’s shape without enough forward thrust. Their circulation regularly became predictable, and Maignan’s sending-off then removed any chance of maintaining the original approach.
- Hutchinson was sacrificed for reserve goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani after the red card.
- Milan dropped into a 4-4-1 shape, later becoming an even deeper 4-4-1-0 after the break.
- Without a recognised outlet up front, the visitors could not keep possession away from their own penalty area.
- Amorim introduced Adrien Rabiot and Davide Bartesaghi at half-time in an attempt to protect the scoreline.
Milan’s high line remained vulnerable without Maignan’s ability to sweep behind his defence. Bournemouth targeted the space beyond Tomori and Pavlovic with direct passes, while Milan’s defensive cover relied too heavily on individual recovery runs.
Adli delivers the final blow
Rose did not allow Bournemouth to settle for a two-goal lead. Around the hour mark, Lewis Cook and Adli came on to inject fresh energy, with Adli told to remain wide against Milan’s increasingly tired defensive unit.
The substitute then finished the contest from a free-kick just outside the box, completing a decisive home victory.
What happens next: Bournemouth will take confidence from a disciplined European display built on pressing, width and controlled possession, while Milan must address the fragility of a system that unravelled once Maignan was sent off.
