AC Milan Stumble at Home with 2-1 Defeat to Cremonese

MILAN, Aug 23 (Reuters) – In a surprising turn on the first day of Serie A, newly promoted Cremonese beat AC Milan 2-1 at San Siro on Saturday. This loss gave the Rossoneri a tough start to their season.

Federico Baschirotto scored for the visitors in the 28th minute. He jumped high to head in a cross from Alessio Zerbin. This happened after a Milan clearance failed during a corner kick. Just before the interval, Pervis Estupiñán made a nice run and sent in a cross. Strahinja Pavlović met it with a header at 45+1 minutes. His strong finish silenced the Cremonese crowd.

The key moment happened just after the hour mark. Federico Bonazzoli scored with a stunning overhead kick from Giuseppe Pezzella’s cross, putting Cremonese back in the lead in the 61st minute. The goalkeeper, Mike Maignan, had no chance against the acrobatic strike. It sent the away fans into wild celebrations.

Milan had most of the ball and took 24 shots, while Cremonese only had four. Still, they couldn’t get past the solid defense. Goalkeeper Emil Audero shone with key saves, helping his team maintain the lead. The result extends Milan’s wait for a victory on matchday one of a Serie A season to four years.

AC Milan will try to bounce back next week when they visit Lecce. At the same time, Cremonese can feel good after their first opening-day win in Italy’s top division.