Milan is in the knockout stages for the first time in 9 years!

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The matches of the last round of Champions League group E were held. From this group, only Chelsea had a guaranteed place in the playoffs (with the first place). Milan and Salzburg had to find out the fate of the second place with each other. Therefore, the main confrontation in this group took place at “San Siro,” and its main hero was the French striker of Milan, Olivier Giroud.

The Italian champions easily beat the Austrian champions on San Siro - 4:0 — The Italian champions easily beat the Austrian champions on San Siro – 4:0

The Italian champions opened the score quickly. Sandro Tonali delivered from the corner, and the Austrian defenders failed to stop Giroud on the second floor. The game was played at a high pace, and both teams had plenty of opportunities. However, the score stayed the same before the break.

Instead, the French striker of Milan improved his statistics in the second half. First, after Ante Rebic’s pass, he headed Rade Krunic for a goal, and later, he scored himself and made a double. Giroud got the second assist in the compensated time when he assisted Junior Messias – 4:0.

Chelsea secures the first place

Croats, who had a chance to get a ticket to the Europa League, opened the score at “Stamford Bridge” at the beginning of the match with Bruno Petkovic’s goal, but they could not keep the lead for long. First, Raheem Sterling equalized the score after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s pass, and then Denis Zakaria scored a goal. It should be noted that for the 25-year-old Swiss, who the Londoners added on loan from Juventus, this was his debut match in Chelsea.

Finally, Chelsea (13 points) and Milan (10) took the first and second places in Group E. Salzburg (6) is third and will move to the Europa League, while Dinamo Zagreb (4) took the last place. The draw for the 1/8-final stage of the Champions League will be held on November 7 at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon.