Depleted Milan Miss Chance to Go Second with 4-2 Loss at Monza 

AC Milan's French forward #09 Olivier Giroud reacts at the end of the Italian Serie A football match between AC Monza and AC Milan at the Brianteo stadium in Monza, Italy on February 18, 2024. (AFP)
AC Milan's French forward #09 Olivier Giroud reacts at the end of the Italian Serie A football match between AC Monza and AC Milan at the Brianteo stadium in Monza, Italy on February 18, 2024. (AFP)
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Depleted Milan Miss Chance to Go Second with 4-2 Loss at Monza 

AC Milan's French forward #09 Olivier Giroud reacts at the end of the Italian Serie A football match between AC Monza and AC Milan at the Brianteo stadium in Monza, Italy on February 18, 2024. (AFP)
AC Milan's French forward #09 Olivier Giroud reacts at the end of the Italian Serie A football match between AC Monza and AC Milan at the Brianteo stadium in Monza, Italy on February 18, 2024. (AFP)

AC Milan missed out on the chance to move into second in the Serie A standings when they lost 4-2 at mid-table Monza on Sunday after being reduced to 10 men early in the second half.

Milan remained third in the standings on 52 points, two adrift of second-placed Juventus and 11 behind leaders Inter Milan, who have a game in hand.

The Rossoneri, who beat Stade Rennais 3-0 at home in the Europa League in midweek and travel to France for the second leg on Thursday, suffered their first league loss in more than two months to end their unbeaten run of nine games.

Matteo Pessina and Dany Mota put Monza ahead in the first half before substitutes Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic pulled Milan level in the second. Warren Bondo and Lorenzo Colombo secured the hosts all three points with a goal apiece in the dying minutes.

Milan went down to 10 men in the 52nd minute when Luka Jovic was sent off for violent conduct against Monza captain Pessina, with the referee overturning his original decision to just book the Serbia striker after consulting the VAR screen.

"We made mistakes that ruined the match. When you concede four goals it feels wrong to say our first half-hour was good, but that is true," Milan coach Stefano Pioli told DAZN.

"Going a man down made it even more difficult. After equalizing we should've been sharper to defend better. The team felt confident and wanted to go on to win."

With Giroud, Pulisic and Rafael Leao starting on the bench, Milan had early chances through Jovic and Theo Hernandez before a shot by Samuel Chukwueze was denied by Monza goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio.

Pessina gave Monza the lead from the spot just before the break, sending Milan keeper Mike Maignan the wrong way after the penalty was awarded for a foul by Malick Thiaw, and Mota doubled the advantage for the hosts in first-half stoppage time.

Di Gregorio had to be substituted late in the first half after a clash of heads with defender Andrea Carboni.

Pulisic, Leao and Tijjani Reijnders all took to the field following halftime and Giroud joined minutes later but things got worse for Milan when they had Jovic sent off.

Giroud eventually pulled a goal back for the visitors with a shot from close range, netting a Pulisic headed pass in the 64th minute, and the American equalized in the 88th with a curled shot inside the far post.

But feisty Monza did not settle for a draw, with Bondo and Colombo sealing their historic first win and points over Milan in Serie A.

"These are serious errors; we all should've done better. It is a painful defeat but one that we must learn from," the Italian manager added.

"We stopped after a long unbeaten run in Serie A, third place is not solid yet and second place is also not far away."



Ostapenko on Upward Trajectory as Clay Season Gains Momentum 

Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko holds the winner's trophy following the women's singles final tennis match of the WTA tour, in Stuttgart, Germany, Monday, April 21, 2025. (Marijan Murat/dpa via AP)
Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko holds the winner's trophy following the women's singles final tennis match of the WTA tour, in Stuttgart, Germany, Monday, April 21, 2025. (Marijan Murat/dpa via AP)
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Ostapenko on Upward Trajectory as Clay Season Gains Momentum 

Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko holds the winner's trophy following the women's singles final tennis match of the WTA tour, in Stuttgart, Germany, Monday, April 21, 2025. (Marijan Murat/dpa via AP)
Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko holds the winner's trophy following the women's singles final tennis match of the WTA tour, in Stuttgart, Germany, Monday, April 21, 2025. (Marijan Murat/dpa via AP)

Jelena Ostapenko is starting to show shades of the form that saw her crowned French Open champion eight years ago with the Latvian knocking over the top two players in the world en route to winning the Stuttgart Open title on Monday.

Ostapenko became the first woman to beat the world number one and number two in the same claycourt event since Serena Williams at Madrid in 2012 by beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final and Iga Swiatek in the quarters.

Her ninth tour-level title, and just her second on clay, lifted Ostapenko six places in the world rankings to 18th, marking her out as a dark horse ahead of Roland Garros, which begins on May 25.

"Honestly, I didn't tell anyone, but I felt confident since the first day. I had a strange feeling in a good way," she told reporters in Stuttgart.

"When I came here, I felt like something's going to happen this week. I pretty much felt that I can win this tournament.

"I think I'm improving day by day and I'm playing better and better. I think I deserve it."

Ostapenko, who also beat Swiatek on the way to the Doha final in February before losing to Amanda Anisimova, has failed to reach a Grand Slam final since her Roland Garros breakthrough in 2017.

However, she said playing without the burden of expectation had worked wonders for her this season.

"I had enough pressure in my career," Ostapenko told the WTA website. "I didn't feel it even though it was the final. In my mind, I was just playing a match."

Ostapenko will be in action in Madrid this week and is also dreaming of another deep run in Paris.

"Obviously I can play well on this surface," she added.

"I will take it match by match, but anything can happen."