Photo of the year [Newsletter]

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Oct 23, 2024

As a result of a red card, in our favour this time, AC Milan prevailed against Club Brugge and thus clinched their first three points in the Champions League this season. In many ways, it was a lacklustre display from the Rossoneri but one thing made it stand out compared to previous games: Francesco Camarda. Making his debut in the UCL, he set a new record.

Paulo Fonseca and his men headed into the game with confidence after a hard-fought win against Udinese, proving that they can indeed play as a team. However, the first half against Club Brugge was quite tough and Mike Maignan had to come to the rescue on a couple of occasions. There was no intensity, as the manager himself explained, but fortunately the game eventually turned around.

The fact that we are glossing over Christian Pulisic scoring straight from a corner, and Tijjani Reijnders bagging a brace, to speak about Camarda’s debut tells you everything you need to know about its importance. Fonseca hinted at the cameo ahead of the game, given the absences of Tammy Abraham and Luka Jovic, stating that it would be ‘important for all the young people who believe in the youth sector of Milan’.

At 16 years and 226 days, he became the youngest-ever Milan player to feature in the competition, as well as the youngest Italian player. Clearly, we are not just talking about any other talent and his first action showed that, immediately dropping down to get involved and keeping his composure in possession. Even though the physicality isn’t quite there yet, Rossoneri fans believed as he entered the pitch.

Sure enough, about ten minutes after the substitution, he got on the end of Tijjani Reijnders’ cross and managed to beat the goalkeeper with a looping header. As he ripped off the shirt and ran towards the bench in celebration, the best image of Milan’s 2024-25 season was captured. Indeed, even though VAR disallowed the goal for a narrow but correct offside, the image is still being shared all over social media (and as seen above).

Camarda was visibly disappointed after the full-time whistle, as you would be, but he provided an excellent answer during the post-match interview: “I’m very disappointed about the goal but these things happen, especially in football these days. The record pushes me to improve myself and make nights like this happen more often”. For his age, an incredibly mature take after being brought down from cloud nine.

There’s little doubt that Camarda eventually will get his goal in the Champions League, seeing what an impact he can have already at this age. At the same time, as has been made clear several times, we as fans must allow him to grow at the right pace and not put unnecessary pressure on his shoulders. So far it has worked and it would be rather foolish to change the approach now.

News Bulletin

➤ Milan Futuro were looking to distance themselves from the last-placed team Legnago Salu over the weekend and led 1-0 before a Fode Ballo-Toure red card threw everything away. They conceded an equaliser in the 82nd minute and ended up losing 3-1, putting further pressure on after a bad start to the season.

➤ On a similar theme, things started brilliantly for Milan Primavera against Cremonese in their last league game as they went 2-0 up but a second-half collapse condemned them to a 3-2 defeat. In the UEFA Youth League on Tuesday, a 95th-minute equaliser earned them a 1-1 draw with Club Brugge.

➤ After three consecutive wins, the positive run came to an end for Milan Women as Roma prevailed 2-1 on Sunday. To make matters worse it was the former Milan player - Valentina Giacinti - who scored the winner with a header late on.

➤ One of the takeaways from Milan's 3-1 Champions League win over Club Brugge has been the divisive nature of Rafael Leao's night. He looked glum after being taken off and didn't join in with the post-match celebrations, while Paolo Di Canio and Fabio Capello disagreed on the winger's performance, with the former comparing him to a copy of a good watch.

➤ One of the other big stories was Francesco Camarda, who went from ecstasy to agony when his goal late on was chalked off by VAR for being offside. His mother was in tears as his teammates lifted him above their heads, but it was still a record-breaking debut for the teenager.

➤ Speaking of Camarda, he is part of the planning for the future of the attack, with names like Santiago Gimenez and Ange-Yoan Bonny also circled in red. Jonathan David is not an option at present according to Matteo Moretto, while Samuel Chukwueze is rejecting big offers from the Middle East to stay at Milan and prove a point.