MILAN (AP) — It was soon after. Raphael Leão scored the winning penalty. AC Milan centre-back Matteo Gabbia made the most important tackle of the match.
About his teammates.
When Leon ran like crazy during the celebration and started taking off his shirt, Gabbia rushed into his path, grabbed the back of the winger’s jersey with both hands, and forcefully pulled it back on. Leon smiled.
This measure prevented Lean from being shown a yellow card, which is required by the rules when players take off their shirts in celebration.
After Sunday’s 2-1 win over Fiorentina, which returned Milan to the top of the Italian league standings, Lean posted a photo of the moment on his Instagram Story, referring to Gabbia with a series of “face with tears of joy” emoji.
Leon scored two goals in this match, making his first start of the Serie A season after being sidelined due to injury. These were his first goals in Serie A at San Siro since May 2024.
Milan’s attacking power has declined with Christian Pulisic, Adrien Rabiot and Christopher Nkunku out injured, and they cannot afford to lose Leon due to the accumulated cards.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
