Leao scores winner as Milan moves top of Serie A
AC Milan moved top of the Serie A standings with a 1-0 win away to Cagliari, with Rafael Leao's second-half goal earning the visitors all three points despite a far from impressive performance in the league's first match of 2026.
Milan, which extended its unbeaten run in Serie A to 16 games, is now on 38 points, two ahead of Inter Milan, which hosts Bologna on Monday (AEDT), while Cagliari remain 14th in the standings on 18 points.
Cagliari played with plenty of confidence in the opening half, taking the game to Milan but its only real chance was a glancing header from Michel Adopo, which was comfortably saved by Mike Maignan.
Milan, meanwhile, struggled to threaten, relying on counter-attacks and failing to provide quality service to its frontmen, with manager Massimiliano Allegri cutting a frustrated figure on the sideline.
The visitors came out on the attack after the break, Ruben Loftus-Cheek heading over before Leao gave Milan the lead five minutes after half-time.
Adrien Rabiot played a low pass across the box and Leao had space and time to control the ball before drilling his shot into the roof of the net, despite a slip. The goal took the wind out of Cagliari's sails and it never looked like salvaging a draw.
Allegri, whose first managerial role in Serie A was with Cagliari, gave Niclas Fullkrug his Milan debut from the bench on the day the German forward's loan signing from West Ham United was made official.
Leao said he has set himself a target to score more goals this season for AC Milan after the match.
The Portuguese winger’s best scoring campaign came in 2022-2023, when he scored 15 times in the league, and he is determined to add to his tally this season as he finds himself in more advanced positions.
“The team is in a good period of form and we’re happy,” Leao said.
“I feel that if I have two or three scoring opportunities, I have to score two goals. The coach is putting me closer to the net, I need to sense the goal more, and also thank the squad for putting me in a condition to score.
“We have objectives, but there’s a long way to go. The team all know what the objective of the club is, we are Milan and must try to win important trophies.”
Allegri managed his 150th game in charge of Milan in Serie A and also reached 1050 points as a coach in the top-flight after this win over Cagliari.
The Italian coach believes Leao can have a bigger impact in matches as a striker and praised the 26-year-old’s performances while dealing with injuries this season.
“When Leao plays on the left, he can occasionally fall asleep and drop out of the game,” Allegri said.
“He has the characteristics to do well in the centre, but he wasn’t 100 per cent fit today and didn’t attack the space in the right way during the first half. Nonetheless, he’s scored six Serie A goals this season, despite missing quite a few games through injury.”
