Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Friday set up Ante Rebic to score the only goal as AC Milan beat Brescia 1-0 to claim a third consecutive Serie A victory for the first time this season.
Ibrahimovic missed a chance in front of goal before halftime, but provided the cross after 71 minutes that allowed substitute Rebic to finish off his third goal in two games.
Milan have taken 10 points from four games since Ibrhimovic’s return to the club this month.
Photo: AP
Stefano Pioli’s side moved up to sixth, in the UEFA Europa League berths, and seven points adrift of the Champions League spots.
“It wasn’t a beautiful Milan, but a win,” Pioli said. “We can play better, but we had a great attitude, now we know how to suffer. We must continue like this.”
Milan are on a run of four consecutive wins, including in the Coppa Italia, and next play Torino on Tuesday for a place in the semi-finals.
“We’re recovering,” Pioli said. “We’re a completely different team now both on the pitch and in attitude. Ibra is an added value, both on and off the field, but the whole team has been good at turning things around after the violent fall in Bergamo [a 5-0 defeat to Atalanta BC].”
Italy forward Mario Balotelli was suspended for hosts Brescia against his former club.
Brescia had their chances with Sandro Tonali and Ernesto Torregrossa threatened Gianluigi Donnarumma in the Milan goal.
Ibrahimovic missed a chance five minutes before the break, sending a Theo Hernandez cross wide of the goal, but the 38-year-old controlled a Hakan Calhanoglu pass sent through at an angle and Rebic, who came on 13 minutes earlier, pounced to finish off amid confusion in front of goal.
The Croatian forward had already scored his first two goals for Milan last weekend against Udinese.
Samu Castillejo had a goal ruled out with seven minutes to go because Ibrahimovic was offside during the buildup.
Donnarumma dived to deny Emanuele Ndoj as Brescia piled forward in search of the equalizer, but they remain second from bottom of Serie A.
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