Super Eagles forward, Samuel Chukwueze, scored in the 55th minute to lead AC Milan to a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in an international friendly at Soldier Field on Wednesday night.
Unmarked as he sprinted down the right side, Chukwueze received a pass from Mattia Liberali and fired a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Thibault Courtois from 8 yards out.
“The result isn’t that important, but winning in general is important,” said new Milan coach Paulo Fonseca. “I’m really positive about tonight. It was our clear intention to dominate the game with the ball.”
Real Madrid was limited to eight shots, with six coming in the second half.
Their best opportunity, a shot by Brazilian forward Endryck Moreira in the 12th minute, was ruled offside. Goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani made the save before the flag was raised.
Milan registered 10 shots, including one by Christian Pulisic, the U.S. national team captain who entered the match in the 65th minute. Courtois denied Pulisic’s 10-yard attempt from the right side.
With several key players like Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham missing from the preseason exhibition, Real Madrid coach Carlos Angelotti focused on integrating newcomer Moreira into the lineup.
“We ran with a younger squad, so we know it wasn’t going to be the easiest match,” Angelotti said through an interpreter. “They had a lot of possession, the momentum. They played the quicker game.”
AC Milan, who defeated Manchester City 3-2 on Saturday, also fielded a number of substitutes under Fonseca.
“We’ve got three weeks of work ahead of us before Serie A starts,” Fonseca said. “It’ll take a lot of work to improve, but we can see something happening in our game.”
Chukwueze, who scored only once in 24 appearances for Milan last season, had the team’s best first-half chance in the eighth minute, but Courtois made a diving save.
Real Madrid’s Ceasr Palacoio suffered a left knee injury following a hard tackle four minutes into the second half.
