Samuel Chukwueze scored in the 55th minute, leading AC Milan to a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid on Wednesday night at Soldier Field in an international friendly.
Chukwueze, left unmarked as he sprinted down the right flank, finished a pass from Mattia Liberali with his left foot from 8 yards away, getting past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
“The result isn’t the most important thing, but winning is,” said new Milan coach Paulo Fonseca. “I’m really positive about tonight. We aimed to control the game with our possession.”
Real Madrid managed only eight shots, six of which came in the second half. Their best chance, a shot by Brazilian forward Endryck Moreira in the 12th minute, was ruled offside. Lorenzo Torriani saved it before the offside flag went up.
Milan took 10 shots, including one from Christian Pulisic, the U.S. national team captain who came on in the 65th minute. Courtois made a save on Pulisic’s 10-yard shot from the right.
Real Madrid, missing key players like Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham in the preseason, had coach Carlos Angelotti focusing on integrating new player Moreira into the team.
“We played with a younger squad, so we knew it wouldn’t be an easy match,” Angelotti said through an interpreter. “They had a lot of possession and momentum. They played a faster game.”
AC Milan, who defeated Manchester City 3-2 on Saturday, also fielded several substitutes under Fonseca.
“We have three weeks of work before Serie A starts,” Fonseca said. “We need to improve a lot, but we can see progress in our game.”
Chukwueze, who scored one goal for Milan last season in 24 appearances, had the best first-half chance for Milan in the eighth minute, but Courtois made a diving save.
Real Madrid’s Ceasr Palacoio injured his left knee on a hard tackle just four minutes into the second half.
