Alphadjo Cisse Hat-Trick Fires AC Milan to 4-0 Europa League Win at Salzburg
AC Milan restored momentum in their Europa League campaign with a commanding 4-0 win away to Salzburg at the Red Bull Arena, where Alphadjo Cisse struck a hat-trick before substitute Goncalo Ramos added a late fourth. Ruben Amorim’s rotated side took control early in a fluid 3-4-2-1 system, repeatedly finding room in the wide areas and punishing Salzburg in transition.
Cisse opened the scoring in the 15th minute after Omari Hutchinson’s pace and delivery exposed the home defence. The forward doubled his tally on 33 minutes, arriving onto Davide Bartesaghi’s overlapping pass to put Milan firmly in command before the interval.
Any prospect of a Salzburg recovery disappeared four minutes after the restart. Adrien Rabiot supplied Cisse for his third of the night in the 49th minute, completing a clinical display built on intelligent movement across the defensive line. Cisse consistently attacked the blind side of Salzburg’s defenders, while Francesco Camarda’s pressing and selfless runs helped create space around him.
Milan control the contest despite late red card
Salzburg finished with 14 attempts, but Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan was required to make only two saves as the visitors’ back three largely restricted the hosts to low-quality openings. Koni De Winter anchored the central role, while Strahinja Pavlovic produced an imposing display against his former club, winning aerial contests and stepping forward to break up attacks. Fikayo Tomori’s recovery speed also helped contain Haris Tabakovic before Tomori was withdrawn in the 67th minute.
Ardon Jashari dictated much of the match from midfield, protecting the defence and setting the rhythm in possession. Rabiot provided the drive alongside him before leaving the pitch in the 60th minute, when Ramos, Christian Pulisic and Luka Modric were introduced. Modric’s arrival gave Milan greater control in the closing stages, while Pulisic continued to occupy Salzburg’s wide defenders.
Ramos made the scoreline even more emphatic in the 72nd minute, finishing calmly after Jashari’s assist. The Portugal forward had entered only 12 minutes earlier but maintained Milan’s attacking threat as Salzburg’s resistance faded.
The only setback came in the 84th minute, when Filippo Terracciano was sent off after coming on in the 67th. Milan therefore completed the final minutes with 10 men, with Sankhoun Diawara having replaced Pavlovic three minutes earlier.
Amorim’s use of a three-man defence and aggressive wing-backs paid off decisively, particularly through Bartesaghi and Hutchinson. Ruben Loftus-Cheek also contributed in the advanced line, using his physicality to connect play and draw defenders away from the spaces Cisse exploited. The result underlined both Milan’s squad depth and their ability to adjust their shape without losing control of the match.
