Tijjani Reijnders came to AC Milan’s rescue in their 2-1 victory over Serie A newcomers Como on Saturday, a match that saw Dele Alli make his debut from the bench—only to be sent off moments later.
The Dutch midfielder sealed the win in the 76th minute with a well-placed strike after a brilliant pass from Tammy Abraham, helping Milan overturn a deficit and calm frustrated home fans while climbing to seventh in the Serie A standings.
Sergio Conceicao’s side remains three points away from the European spots, largely thanks to Reijnders, who also set up Christian Pulisic for the equalizer just seven minutes into the second half.
The 26-year-old also hit the bar shortly before rolling home his 13th goal of the season in all competitions, and also went close to netting again with five minutes remaining.
His performance saved his teammates from a severe barracking at the end of the match as they were loudly booed and whistled off the pitch at half-time with Milan trailing to Lucas Da Cunha’s 33rd-minute strike.
Regardless supporters continued to demand that owners, US investment firm RedBird, sell the club as they have at all recent matches.
Defeat was harsh on Como who performed well on one of football’s biggest stages and stay safely nestled in 13th place, seven points above the relegation zone.
The evening took a disastrous turn for Como when late substitute Dele Alli, aiming to reignite his career after a turbulent spell post-Tottenham Hotspur, received a straight red card in the final minute for a reckless challenge on Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Adding to Como’s woes, coach Cesc Fabregas was also sent off for dissent shortly after, leaving the lakeside club to return from Milan empty-handed despite another commendable performance against high-profile opposition.
