Barcelona 2-2 (3-4 on pens) Milan
The M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore was filled to the brim with Barcelona and Milan supporters as the two European giants tussled on American soil before heading back to their respective countries.
Christian Pulisic was the star for Milan after registering a goal and an assist. Meanwhile, Robert Lewandowski cancelled I Rossoneri’s two-goal advantage with a brace of his own before Barca failed to find their best form in the penalty shoot-out.
Continue reading below for highlights and takeaways from SBOTOP.
Highlights of the game
The match started to play out quickly, as both teams found their shooting boots less than 30 minutes into the first half.
Barca, however, were the aggressors first, pressing Milan high up the pitch from the get-go. The first few minutes saw Robert Lewandowski miss wide on an early long-shot attempt, whilst Raphinha failed to capitalise early on after getting his shot blocked from inside the box.
But their pressure would prove counterproductive as it left gaps in their defence, which the Milan forwards exposed well.
And with Paulo Fonseca naming his best pre-season side yet, it was inevitable that they were going to find the net against a young Barcelona backline.
Milan’s breakthrough came in the 10th minute after Christian Pulisic’s low cross found Luka Jovic, who outmuscled Sergi Dominguez for an easy tap-in finish.
Just a few minutes after Jovic’s opener, Pulisic doubled I Rossoneri’s lead after receiving Rafael Leao’s well-timed through ball with an exquisite left-footed finish that blew right past Barcelona keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Barcelona continued to pressure and kept being aggressive, and their efforts were finally rewarded in the 22nd minute when Lewandowski—as he has done so often in his legendary career—calmly scored a beautiful shot that was more about the placement and finesse than trying to rip the net with power.
More Club Friendly 2024 highlights followed, with Barcelona eager to find an equaliser before the start of the second half.
Raphinha raced down the left flank and fired a low shot past Lorenzo Torriani, but the Italian keeper managed to get a hand to it. Lewandowski then tried to double his tally after a downward header attempt from Alex Valle’s cross.
Barcelona’s Pau Victor also had a great chance before halftime after catching his defender sleeping, but the offside whistle was already blown before he scored.
Similar to the first half, Barca pressured Milan all throughout and effectively backed the latter into their own half for most of the time. True enough, Hansi Flick’s tactics and adjustments worked when Pau Victor assisted Robert Lewandowski in the 58th minute to tie the match at 2-2 after breaking away from Milan’s backline.
Barcelona had more chances to take the lead the rest of the way but failed; the entire team couldn’t replicate Lewandowski’s clinical instincts.
And since the match was played in the United States, penalty shoot-outs are automatic regardless of the result—though, the usage for this one felt apt.
Substitute keeper Inaki Pena did well to save Milan’s first attempt after guessing the right way against Ismael Bennacer. However, Jules Kounde failed to make up for his goalkeeper’s brilliant effort, with his shot missing the target by a wide margin.
Davide Calabria made no mistake in his attempt to put Milan on the board, whilst 17-year-old Quim Junyent had his penalty saved to keep Barca scoreless. Noah Bernal increased I Rossoneri’s lead to two goals before Marc Bernal finally got one for Barcelona.
Flick’s side were given a lifeline after Pierre Kalulu skied his shot and Toni Fernandez levelled the score at 2 apiece. Yacine Adli and Vitor Roque tied the score at 3-3 before Kevin Zeroli sent a well-placed shot to the bottom corner, which was out of Inaki Pena’s reach.
Milan’s 19-year-old goalie was the hero for the Italian side after saving a second penalty kick, which sealed the victory.
Key Statistics
Possession-wise, the match was as close as it could get, with Barcelona controlling 51 per cent of the ball to Milan’s 49 per cent. Milan were clinical in front of goal, however, scoring two goals on four attempts as compared to Barcelona, who were more wasteful after scoring only two goals from 17 shots.
It was also a physical match between the two, with a total of 25 fouls and six yellow cards dished out.
What’s next?
This friendly match was AC Milan’s last before they start their Serie A campaign on August 17 against Torino, whilst Barcelona will face AS Monaco back in Spain before they, too, kick-off the La Liga season on August 12 against Valencia.
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