Leao and Pulisic inspire AC Milan comeback in 3-2 win over Inter in Italian Super Cup final

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This article was published 06/01/2025 (631 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — It took exactly one week on the job for Sergio Conceicao to earn his first trophy as AC Milan’s coach — with two comeback wins no less.

Milan came back from two goals down to beat city rival Inter Milan 3-2 and win the Italian Super Cup on Monday.

Rafael Leao came off the bench and played a part in all three of Milan’s goals from Theo Hernandez, Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham.

Conceicao was hired to replace the fired Paulo Fonseca last Monday and also led the Rossoneri to a comeback win over Juventus in the semifinals.

So what changed with Conceicao?

“We played with confidence, courage and hunger,” Abraham said. “We’re a strong team.”

Added Pulisic, “He told us we need to have more hunger and that that’s more important than tactics.”

After the semifinals, Conceicao was asked if he embraced his players.

“I’m not so nice and I’m not someone who hugs,” he said. “I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to win.”

But after the final, Conceicao was seen dancing with his players and smoking a cigar in the changing room.

It was Milan’s first trophy since winning Serie A in 2022; and eighth Super Cup title but first since 2016.

Lautaro Martinez and Mehdi Taremi put Inter ahead with goals on either side of halftime.

Leao then earned a foul that resulted in a free kick which Hernandez curled in around Inter’s wall.

Then Pulisic finished off a counterattack by shooting through Augusto’s legs on a play that began with Leao.

For the third goal, Leao provided a through ball for Pulisic, who crossed to Abraham, who tapped into an empty net in stoppage time. The final was moments away from going to a penalty shootout, since there was not going to be any extra time according to the competition rules.

“It’s also our fault that Fonseca was fired,” said Hernandez, who like Leao often clashed with Fonseca. “We didn’t have much time to work together (with Conceicao) but it’s gone well in that short span.”

It was the fifth time in the last seven years that the competition was played in Saudi Arabia, and the second year of an expanded four-team format.

A throw-in led to Inter’s opener as Taremi fed the ball inside the area to Lautaro, who cut back before shooting through Hernandez’s legs on Inter’s only real chance of the half.

Taremi, who was playing in place of the injured Marcus Thuram, finished off a counterattack right after the break.

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Milan plays its first Serie A match under Conceicao against Cagliari on Saturday. The Rossoneri are in eighth place with only seven wins in 17 matches but will return to league action with much more confidence.

Inter lost for only the third time this season across all competitions, and for the second time to Milan, which won the Serie A derby 2-1 in September. The Nerazzurri’s other loss was to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

“Inter stopped playing when it was 2-0,” Lautaro said. “You pay for that in games like these. We knew that Milan’s best weapon is their counterattacks.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer