Bournemouth secured a dramatic place in the Europa League knockout phase by defeating AC Milan in a penalty shootout. The Cherries won 3-0 on spot-kicks after a 1-1 draw at the Vitality Stadium, a result sealed by the 72nd-minute dismissal of Milan's goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
The victory guarantees Bournemouth a top-two finish in Group F with two games to spare. Amine Adli's stunning first-half free-kick was cancelled out by a Rafael Leão header, but the match turned when Maignan was shown a straight red card for a foul outside his area. Substitute keeper Marco Sportiello could not stop any of Bournemouth's three perfect penalties, while Milan missed all of theirs.
How the tie turned
Bournemouth started brightly and took the lead after 28 minutes. Adli, who had been fouled, stepped up to curl a 25-yard free-kick over the wall and into the top corner, leaving Maignan rooted. The home side's control was disrupted just before half-time, however, when Leão rose to powerfully head home Theo Hernández's cross from the left.
The key moment arrived with just under 20 minutes of normal time remaining. Maignan rushed out of his box and clumsily brought down Bournemouth's charging forward. Referee István Kovács immediately produced a red card, forcing Milan to sacrifice an outfield player for Sportiello. "It was a clear decision," said Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola.
With the numerical advantage, Bournemouth pressed for a winner but could not find a way past a resolute ten-man defence in the remaining minutes or in extra time. The shootout was one-sided. Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke, Marcus Tavernier and Ryan Christie all scored, while Milan's failures included a Sportiello save from Leão and a miss by substitute striker Luka Jović that sailed over the bar.
Iraola praised his team's resilience. The result leaves AC Milan, the seven-time European champions, facing an uphill battle to qualify, needing results elsewhere to go their way.
Read the full report at bbc.co.uk
