Santiago Gimenez made AC Milan history by scoring his first goal for the club in their 2-0 win over struggling Empoli at Stadio Carlo Castellani.
Match Recap
Milan struggled to break down Empoli in the first half, prompting Sergio Conceicao to make three attacking substitutions at the break, introducing Rafael Leao, Santiago Gimenez, and Christian Pulisic.
The game came to life in the second half, with both sides being reduced to 10 men:
- Fikayo Tomori received a second yellow card in the 55th minute.
- Luca Marianucci saw a straight red card 10 minutes later after kicking out at Gimenez following a VAR review.
Milan capitalized on their man advantage and opened the scoring in the 68th minute:
- Pulisic whipped in a cross, and Leao powered home a header to put the Rossoneri in front.
Eight minutes later, the USA international was involved again:
- Pulisic set up Gimenez, who curled a beautiful shot into the net, sealing Milan’s victory.
With this win, Milan closes the gap to five points behind fourth-placed Juventus, keeping their Champions League qualification hopes alive.
Data Debrief: Historic Moment for Gimenez
- Santiago Gimenez became the first Mexican player to score for AC Milan in Serie A.
- He is also the third Mexican to score in the league after Johan Vásquez and Hirving Lozano.
- Milan have now kept five consecutive clean sheets against Empoli—their joint-longest defensive streak against a single opponent in Serie A (also five vs Pisa between 1988 and 1991).
- Empoli are winless in nine matches and remain one point above the relegation zone.
- Despite the loss, Empoli made history by fielding seven Italian players in their starting lineup for the first time in Serie A.
Final Score: Empoli 0-2 AC Milan
