Ruben Loftus-Cheek was the star of the show as he scored two superb headers to lead AC Milan to a convincing 3-0 win over Rennes in the first leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off. The English midfielder, who joined Milan from Chelsea last summer, has been in sensational form lately, scoring seven goals in his last five games in all competitions.
Loftus-Cheek opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, when he rose highest to meet Alessandro Florenzi’s pinpoint cross from the right and powered a header past the helpless Rennes goalkeeper. He doubled his tally just after the break, when he nodded in another Florenzi delivery from a corner. Rafael Leão completed the rout in the 52nd minute, when he latched onto a through ball from Zlatan Ibrahimović and slotted it past the advancing keeper.
Milan, who dropped into the Europa League after finishing third in their Champions League group, have virtually secured their place in the last 16 with this dominant display. They will travel to France next week for the second leg, confident of finishing the job and progressing to the next round.
Rennes, who qualified for the Europa League as runners-up in their group, had no answer to Milan’s quality and intensity. They barely threatened the Milan goal, managing only four shots on target in the whole game. They will need a miracle to turn the tie around in the second leg, as they face a daunting task of overturning a three-goal deficit against a rampant Milan side.
