Leao and Pulisic inspire AC Milan comeback in 3-2 win over Inter in Italian Super Cup final

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — It took precisely one week on the job for Sergio Conceicao to earn his first trophy as AC Milan’s coach — with two comeback wins no much less.

Milan got here again from two targets right down to beat metropolis rival Inter Milan 3-2 and win the Italian Tremendous Cup on Monday.

Rafael Leao got here off the bench and performed an element in all three of Milan’s targets from Theo Hernandez, Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham.

Conceicao was employed to switch the fired Paulo Fonseca final Monday and in addition led the Rossoneri to a comeback win over Juventus within the semifinals.

So what modified with Conceicao?

“We performed with confidence, braveness and starvation,” Abraham mentioned. “We’re a robust workforce.”

Added Pulisic, “He informed us we have to have extra starvation and that that’s extra essential than ways.”

After the semifinals, Conceicao was requested if he embraced his gamers.

“I’m not so good and I’m not somebody who hugs,” he mentioned. “I’m not right here to make buddies. I’m right here to win.”

However after the ultimate, Conceicao was seen dancing along with his gamers and smoking a cigar within the altering room.

It was Milan’s first trophy since successful Serie A in 2022; and eighth Tremendous Cup title however first since 2016.

Lautaro Martinez and Mehdi Taremi put Inter forward with targets on both facet of halftime.

Leao then earned a foul that resulted in a free kick which Hernandez curled in round Inter’s wall.

Then Pulisic completed off a counterattack by taking pictures by way of Augusto’s legs on a play that started with Leao.

For the third aim, Leao offered a by way of ball for Pulisic, who crossed to Abraham, who tapped into an empty internet in stoppage time. The ultimate was moments away from going to a penalty shootout, since there was not going to be any additional time based on the competitors guidelines.

“It’s additionally our fault that Fonseca was fired,” mentioned Hernandez, who like Leao usually clashed with Fonseca. “We didn’t have a lot time to work collectively (with Conceicao) but it surely’s gone effectively in that brief span.”

It was the fifth time within the final seven years that the competitors was performed in Saudi Arabia, and the second 12 months of an expanded four-team format.

A throw-in led to Inter’s opener as Taremi fed the ball inside the realm to Lautaro, who in the reduction of earlier than taking pictures by way of Hernandez’s legs on Inter’s solely actual likelihood of the half.

Taremi, who was taking part in instead of the injured Marcus Thuram, completed off a counterattack proper after the break.

Milan performs its first Serie A match beneath Conceicao towards Cagliari on Saturday. The Rossoneri are in eighth place with solely seven wins in 17 matches however will return to league motion with far more confidence.

Inter misplaced for less than the third time this season throughout all competitions, and for the second time to Milan, which received the Serie A derby 2-1 in September. The Nerazzurri’s different loss was to Bayer Leverkusen within the Champions League.

“Inter stopped taking part in when it was 2-0,” Lautaro mentioned. “You pay for that in video games like these. We knew that Milan’s finest weapon is their counterattacks.”

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