Zlatan nets brace as Milan starts with a win
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice as Milan started its Serie A campaign with a convincing 2-0 victory over Bologna, which ended the game at San Siro with 10 men.
Having finished 2019-2020 in excellent form, Milan picked up where it left off with Ibrahimovic's double securing a first opening-day win since 2017-2018.
The 38 year-old, who netted in the Europa League against Shamrock Rovers on Friday (AEST), broke the deadlock with a header 35 minutes in.
His second came from the spot six minutes into the second half after Riccardo Orsolini fell foul of VAR and Bologna finished the game with 10 men after Mitchell Dijks saw red in the 88th minute.
Milan played itself into trouble inside the opening two minutes and was fortunate Roberto Soriano's effort was deflected wide.
Ibrahimovic was inches away from getting off the mark 10 minutes later, before the veteran set up a great chance that Ismael Bennacer blazed over from close range.
Yet Ibrahimovic made no mistake with the next opportunity, directing a brilliant header into the bottom-right corner from Theo Hernandez's cross.
Half-time substitute Alexis Saelemaekers made an immediate impact as he teed up Ibrahimovic, but Lukasz Skorupski made a solid save.
Milan was quickly handed a chance for its second, though, when VAR spotted Orsolini's foul on Bennacer, which had been given as a free-kick, actually took place in the box and Ibrahimovic slammed the penalty high into the right corner.
A perfect hat-trick looked a certainty when Ibrahimovic rounded Skorupski, but the Swede sliced his effort over.
Milan settled for the two-goal cushion and Bologna's frustration was compounded when Dijks received a second booking for a foul on Saelemaekers.
