Manchester City were dealt a second consecutive preseason defeat, losing 3-2 to AC Milan at Yankee Stadium on Saturday night.
City initially seemed in control as they sought to recover from Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to Celtic, with Erling Haalandputting the Premier League champions in the lead after just 19 minutes. However, the tide quickly turned as Milan’s young striker Lorenzo Colombo netted two quick goals, putting the Italian side ahead.
City’s Rico Lewis was caught out twice by Milan winger Samuel Chukwueze, leaving Colombo with straightforward finishes. A significantly reshuffled City side came out fighting in the second half, with James McAtee scoring a close-range header following a cross from Lewis.
Both teams pushed for the decisive goal, and it was Milan who clinched it when substitute Marco Nasti scored with just 12 minutes left on the clock. Despite the five-goal thriller, the loudest cheer of the night came after 82 minutes.
US national team stars Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic were brought on for Milan, much to the delight of the crowd, although some fans expressed disappointment that they weren’t introduced earlier.
Erling Haaland delivers following ‘improvement’ statement
Ahead of Saturday’s match, Haaland stated that he has made improvements in “a lot of things” for the 2024-25 season, a claim that might be hard to swallow for some fans. The 24-year -ld is already considered one of the top footballers globally, but his statement seems to hold water as the forward appears set to break his own Premier League scoring record next season.
“Hopefully I will be a better footballer and a better human this season,” Haaland shared with journalists on Friday. The Norwegian striker took just 12 minutes to find the back of the net against Celtic on Tuesday and put City in the lead against Milan within 19 minutes on Saturday with a clean finish into the bottom-left corner.
Haaland’s speed, presence, and intelligence have been evident since his days at Borussia Dortmund and have only improved since his move to City in 2022. However, the titan seems to have gained from a summer break without international football and could pose an even greater threat to opposition teams next season.
