Milan 1-2 Cagliari: Rossoneri Collapse at San Siro and Miss Out on Champions League

Allegri’s side suffer a disastrous home defeat on Matchday 38 as Cagliari overturn an early deficit and condemn Milan to Europa League football

AC Milan’s season ended in dramatic disappointment as the Rossoneri fell 2-1 at home to Cagliari, missing out on Champions League qualification after a disastrous collapse at San Siro.

The defeat completed a painful late-season meltdown for Massimiliano Allegri’s side, who were overtaken in the standings by both Como and Roma. Instead of returning to Europe’s elite competition, Milan will now settle for a place in the Europa League.

Despite a dream start, the Rossoneri once again showed the fragility that has haunted them since March.

Milan struck after only two minutes. Fikayo Tomori launched a long ball toward Santiago Gimenez, whose flick-on found Alexis Saelemaekers in behind the defense. The Belgian calmly beat Elia Caprile to give the hosts an early advantage and briefly ignite the San Siro crowd.

But the momentum disappeared quickly.

Cagliari equalized in the 20th minute through Gennaro Borrelli after another defensive breakdown on a set piece. Matteo Gabbia completely lost track of the striker inside the area, allowing him to finish from close range and stun the home supporters.

From that point onward, Milan lost confidence. Technical mistakes multiplied across the pitch, while Cagliari looked increasingly dangerous every time they attacked. Frustration inside San Siro grew louder as the first half progressed.

Allegri attempted to shake things up at halftime by replacing Gimenez with Christian Pulisic, but the changes produced little improvement. The Mexican striker ended his league campaign without a single Serie A goal, symbolizing Milan’s attacking struggles throughout the second half of the season.

Cagliari completed the comeback in the 57th minute, once again punishing Milan from a corner kick. Rodríguez reacted fastest inside the area and bundled the ball home while the Rossoneri defense stood frozen.

As updates from other stadiums confirmed positive results for Roma and Como, the atmosphere around San Siro turned toxic.

Supporters expected Rafael Leão to enter immediately, but Allegri instead introduced Fullkrug, Modric and Athekame before finally turning to the Portuguese winger later in the half. Even then, Milan failed to create sustained pressure.

In fact, Cagliari came closer to scoring again, with Mike Maignan forced into an excellent save to deny young substitute Mendy late on.

The final whistle triggered furious reactions from the crowd, with criticism directed toward ownership, management and players alike. After ending the season outside the Champions League places, uncertainty now surrounds Allegri’s future as well.

Match Report