Ruben Amorim endured a truly chaotic return to English soil as his AC Milan side were dismantled 3-0 by Bournemouth in the Europa League. The former Manchester United boss was left fuming on the touchline as a night of total anarchy unfolded, leaving the Italian giants reeling in European competition.
Milan unspool in first-half madness
The Italian side gifted Bournemouth a disastrous start when Koni De Winter conceded an early penalty for handball, allowing Justin Kluivert to open the scoring. Things quickly unravelled further after 28 minutes when goalkeeper Mike Maignan shoved Tyler Adams in the face during a corner.
Following a VAR review, referee Vassilis Fotias dismissed the French shot-stopper and awarded a second spot-kick, which Marcus Tavernier comfortably converted. Maignan vehemently protested before reluctantly leaving the pitch, forcing Omari Hutchinson to make way for substitute goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani. The resulting touchline chaos saw an enraged Amorim attempt to send Torriani on before officially withdrawing an outfield player.
Trailing 2-0 at the break, a seething Amorim waited for the match officials by the touchline, according to Daily Mail. However, despite appearing ready to unleash his fury, the Portuguese boss seemingly bit his lip as they approached and stalked off down the tunnel.
Bournemouth later sealed the 3-0 rout when Amine Adli curled home a late free-kick, capping off a miserable evening for the Rossoneri.
Amorim vents frustration over early errors
Speaking to Sky Sport Italia after the final whistle, a visibly irritated Amorim refused to analyse the tactical breakdown. "The penalty on the corner and the red card changed everything, so it was not a game. It was not a game," he insisted. "We didn’t have time to recover from the first penalty. We tried to push in the end, but the third goal made it even harder for us."
The Milan boss dismissed suggestions that squad rotation was to blame, placing the fault squarely on individual mistakes. "There was no game. It’s not about rhythm or Salzburg, there was no game. It is a different team, you cannot have a penalty in that corner and you cannot get sent off in that situation," he added.
Amorim also lamented the severe physical toll the dismissal took on his side, adding: "That is true, we cannot do that. We need to keep 11 players on the pitch, there are more experienced players, but now we need to recover and get ready for the next game. We have to run a lot with one less player, try to press at the right moment in that situation, so it was a negative in all aspects tonight."
Mounting pressure on the Portuguese boss
The defeat leaves Milan languishing in 24th place in the Europa League, clinging to the final play-off spot after losing two of their first three European fixtures. Despite maintaining a back-three system while reduced to 10 men, Amorim defended his tactical approach. "They know this way of defending, and as I said they tried to push in the final minutes and not take as many risks during the central part of the game," he explained. "I try to put my players in the most comfortable position and try to change the game with substitutions."
When asked about hitting the 100-day mark of his tenure amidst growing criticism, Amorim called for perspective, saying: "This is part of the journey. If you look at the story of Milan, we are at a different point. Fabio Capello is talking about the history of Milan, and I understand that, but we must be realistic. I appreciated the way we fought, we tried to do something, to help each other out, so we must learn from these moments, realise this is football."
He confirmed he had not yet addressed Maignan's lack of discipline. He concluded: "No, I didn’t have the time, now I need to go to Milan to prepare for the next match against Udinese. We’ll talk about it when we get back."
Rebounding against Udinese
Amorim must now swiftly refocus his squad for domestic duties, with Milan preparing to face Udinese in Serie A. The Rossoneri currently sit fourth in the league but showed defensive frailties during their recent narrow 3-2 victory over Atalanta.
With their European campaign faltering, finding consistency in Italy is paramount. Amorim will need to resolve his side's disciplinary issues and shore up a leaky defence to prevent this continental nightmare from derailing their domestic momentum.