Reijnders Brace Powers Milan to Champions League Victory

AC Milan's Champions League campaign got off to a winning start as Tijjani Reijnders' brace secured a 3-1 victory over 10-man Club Brugge at the San Siro.

Reijnders opened the scoring in the 61st minute with a composed finish, before doubling Milan's lead ten minutes later with another clinical strike. The Netherlands midfielder's goals proved decisive after Brugge had equalized Christian Pulisic's early opener through Kyriani Sabbe.

Brugge's hopes of a comeback were dealt a blow when Raphael Onyedika was sent off for a reckless challenge on Reijnders in the 40th minute. Milan took advantage of their numerical superiority, with Reijnders' goals putting them in control.

The Rossoneri's victory was almost overshadowed by a stunning header from 16-year-old Francesco Camarda, who became the youngest ever goalscorer in Champions League history. However, his goal was ruled out for offside, much to the disappointment of the youngster and the Milan faithful.

"His goal being disallowed was disappointing for him. He and the team deserved that moment," said Milan manager Paulo Fonseca. "He deserves to be in the squad, he's worked very hard to be here. He'll score plenty of goals in the future, today was just the beginning."

The win was crucial for Milan, who face a daunting trip to Real Madrid in their next Champions League fixture. Anything less than three points at the San Siro could have put their qualification for the knockout phase in jeopardy.

However, the match was played in front of a subdued crowd as Milan's hardcore ultras continued their protest against high ticket prices. The cheapest general sale tickets for Milan's upcoming domestic fixture against Juventus are priced at 100 euros, with the highest at 479 euros.

The major supporters club AIMC has criticized the club's ticketing policy, claiming it favors "rich foreign tourists or casual fans." Only 58,649 people attended Tuesday's match, significantly lower than the usual attendance of over 70,000 for Milan and Inter's Serie A matches.

"We're not cows to be milked, we're not just here to fill the stadium for the lesser matches, we're not just here to fill the club museum or San Siro's car parks with 120 coaches every time we play at home," said AIMC in a statement.

Fans will be watching with interest the latest developments in the joint effort with Inter Milan to build a new stadium near the current San Siro. One of the criticisms of the previous project, which was abandoned last year, was a drastic reduction in capacity and an increase in high-priced hospitality seating.

Tags: #ACMilan, #ClubBrugge, #ChampionsLeague, #TijjaniReijnders, #FrancescoCamarda