Malik Waqar
Santiago Gimenez scored his first goal for AC Milan on Saturday as the seven-time European champions won 2-0 at Empoli in a Serie A clash which finished with both teams down to 10 men.
Mexico striker Gimenez, who signed from Feyenoord during the winter transfer window, classily struck Milan’s second in the 76th minute in Tuscany to seal the three points.
Rafael Leao headed home Milan’s opener eight minutes before Gimenez’s first Serie A strike as Milan moved up to seventh, five points off the Champions League positions with a game in hand.
Gimenez’s goal is good news for Milan and the 23-year-old who will face his old club Feyenoord in Eindhoven in the Champions League play-offs on Wednesday.
“It’s going to be really tough, it’s a lot of emotion because Feyenoord gave me a lot, they are like family,” Gimenez told DAZN.
Milan looked unlikely to win when defender Fikayo Tomori was sent off for a second bookable offence 10 minutes after the break.
“The temptation at that moment was to take off a striker and put on a defender,” Milan coach Sergio Conceicao told DAZN, adding he opted not to shore up his back line because “a draw here is like a defeat for Milan, so I had to take the gamble.”
“Football is simple” he said. “There is one net you want the ball in and another you don’t.”
Milan only played a man down for 10 minutes before Empoli’s Luca Marianucci was shown a straight red card 10 minutes later for kicking out at Gimenez and Leao soon sent Milan on their way to victory.
In addition to Gimenez, January signings Kyle Walker and Joao Felix also started for Milan.
“This is the spirit we need, we have a lot of quality in the squad, now even more with the new signings,” Milan’s Christian Pulisic told DAZN.
