Stade Rennais 3-2 AC Milan: Penalty drama as AC Milan hold off comeback from French side to progress

AC Milan survived three scares to progress to the UEFA Europa League last 16 in a seesaw 5-3 aggregate victory over Rennes, who kept fighting until the end in front of a sizzling Roazhon Park.

Rennes triumphed 3-2 on the night but were always up against it after capitulating in sorry fashion in the first leg at the San Siro, and could never open up the two-goal deficit they needed to get within range of a last-gasp equaliser.

Benjamin Bourigeaud hit a superb hat-trick, which included two extremely well-taken penalties and a fine opener from outside the box, but Milan stayed in the contest and equalised twice, within 11 and five minutes of the first two goals.

And though Rennes eventually held on to win and at least gave some reward to their home fans, who provided a special atmosphere throughout the evening, Milan’s experienced heads prevailed and they were thankful to Mike Maignan who made a string of important saves.

The sometimes goal-shy Rafael Leao hit his second goal of the tie – just deserts for a standout collective performance in both legs, while Luka Jovic took his opportunity up front in place of Olivier Giroud.

Stefano Pioli dropped last week’s star man Ruben Loftus-Cheek to the bench alongside Giroud with the three-goal cushion, but brought the Englishman on with half an hour still to go – illustrating how the momentum in the tie flipped completely over the game.

While Loftus-Cheek may be frustrated to have missed out on the chance to show Gareth Southgate what he is capable of, he may well get that opportunity on home shores soon.

With Milan safely through, they have a better than 50% chance of drawing a British team in the round of 16 as Liverpool, West Ham, Brighton and Rangers are already through, and Milan will be a danger to any of them though based on the two legs.

It was a completely different performance from Milan after they smothered Rennes in the first leg, and made that dominance count on the scoresheet too.

But right from the start, it was a different Rennes who showed up – intent on giving absolutely everything chasing an unlikely comeback against European royalty as Julien Stephan named an ultra-attacking side including five forward players.

TNT commentator Ian Darke described the frenzied atmosphere as “like they fed the fans raw meat2 and the Roazhon Park faithful were truly the 12th man throughout the night.

Rennes threw five players into the front line every time they recovered the ball and apart from a 10-minute period after the Bourigeaud’s first goal, Milan spent the evening reacting to what the hosts threw at them.

But they also showed a clinical edge that will help them go deep into the tournament. Theo Hernandez teased a perfectly placed ball over the head of the otherwise outstanding Arthur Theate that Luka Jovic thumped past Steve Mandanda to restore their three-goal advantage in the first half, while Leao was similarly cut-throat for his goal.

Despite letting in three goals, Maignan was also a standout between the sticks, with a double-save from Bourigeaud and Kalimuendo immediately after Jovic’s goal proving particularly vital to keeping a lid on the game until it was too late for Rennes.

Despite Maignan’s heroics, this could only ever be one player. The pair enjoyed standoffs before both penalties but each time it was Bourigeaud celebrating as he found the corner with both kicks despite Maignan reacting perfectly to his first strike.

But the midfielder’s first goal was the pick of the bunch. Bourigeaud drifted into space more quietly than a NASA astronaut and only had one thing on his mind when he did receive the ball, powering a low shot back across goal to send the home fans into even further into overdrive – a setting that did not even seem possible at kick-off.

RENNES: Mandanda 6, G Doue 6, Omari 5, Theate 7, Truffert 7, Bourigeaud 8, Santamaria 5, D Doue 6, Gouiri 7, Kalimuendo 8, Terrier 6.

Substitutes: Matusiwa 6, Seidu 6, Salah 7, Blas 7, Yildirim 6.

AC MILAN: Maignan 8, Florenzi 7, Kjaer 5, Gabbia 5, Hernandez 7, Reijnders 7, Bennacer 7, Pulisic 6, Musah 6, Leao 8, Jovic 7.

Substitutes: Loftus-Cheek, Chukwueze, Okafor, Thiaw, Terracciano.

11’ – GOAL! RENNES 1-0 AC MILAN (BOURIGEAUD, 1-3 AGG): WHAT A STRIKE! The atmosphere looks like an absolute corker at Roazhon Park and Rennes have rewarded them, they just look like a completely different team from last week. Milan have no choice but to sit deep in the face of a relentess home side and when Bourigeaud found a pocket of space on the edge of the area, he unleashed a low laser across Maignan’s goal that nestled in the corner.

22’ – GOAL! RENNES 1-1 AC MILAN (JOVIC, 1-4 AGG): Tijjani Reijnders steamed at the backpedalling Rennes defence and fed Theo Hernandez on the left flank, who fizzed in a laser-guided cross that bamboozled Theate and allowed Jovic to fire home.

26’ – SO CLOSE! TWICE! Bourigeaud produced a brutal dipping delivery from the set-piece but Maignan was equal to it, just. But Rennes kept the pressure on and the ball bounced to Kalimuendo in the box, who stabbed a half-volley goalwards at close range. Maignan went one better though, producing an incredible reaction save to keep the tie at 4-1 on aggregate.

52’ – PENALTY! That was out of nowhere! The crowd have been on the ref’s back all day but when Martin Terrier went down from Kjaer’s challenge he pointed to the spot immediately. It’s under VAR check but it’d be very surprising to see this overturned.

54’ – GOAL! RENNES 2-1 AC MILAN (BOURIGEAUD, 2-4 AGG): You don’t see many better penalties than that! Bourigeaud’s been Rennes’ most composed player tonight and he needed to be there, Maignan guessed the right way and dived low at full stretch but still couldn’t get to a thundering strike.

58’ – GOAL! RENNES 2-2 AC MILAN (LEAO, 2-5 AGG): Oh Rennes. After all that work, it’s back to the start of the evening as Leao nets Milan’s second equaliser, that could be game over. It was actually superb from the forward, he intercepted a Rennes pass in his own third before running his socks off to get up the other end of the pitch with the ball at his feet. It was really soft from the defence who let him through, but Leao’s effort deserved some luck.

66’ – PENALTY?!? Bourigeaud was originally annoyed that he couldn’t take the corner quickly, but quietens those protests as he realises VAR is looking at a potential penalty! Kalimuendo’s header struck Jovic’s arm on its way out, this could well be given… AND IT IS!

68’ – GOAL! RENNES 3-2 AC MILAN (BOURIGEAUD, 3-5 AGG): It’s a Europa League hat-trick for Bourigeaud. There was a staredown between taker and keeper but the midfielder sent Maignan the wrong way and buried his own penalty deep in the corner!

Milan’s quickfire responses meant they trailed for just a combined 15 minutes after Rennes’ first two goals.

It’s only Rennes’ second-ever victory over an Italian club.