Match report
Benfica stun Milan to open Europa League campaign with win
Benfica made the better start of the two sides in this UEFA Europa League league-stage opener, beating AC Milan 2-0 despite the hosts dominating territory. Dodi Lukebakio put the visitors ahead in the 16th minute, finishing off a Jakub Kamiński assist to send Benfica in front at the break.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Kamiński turned provider into scorer eight minutes into the second half, converting a chance set up by Souffian El Karouani to double the advantage. Milan pushed for a way back but could not find the finish to match their territorial control, and Benfica held firm to see out the win under Marco Silva.
Milan had the greater share of possession and produced more shots and corners across the match, yet Benfica's efficiency in front of goal proved decisive. Ruben Amorim's side finished with five yellow cards to Benfica's one, reflecting the frustration that grew as the game slipped away from them.
Goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin was rated the outstanding figure on the pitch at 8.6, marshalling the Benfica defence to preserve the clean sheet, while Lukebakio backed up his opening goal with an 8.5 rating of his own.
Milan held 60 percent of the possession and out-shot Benfica 17 to 11, yet came away with nothing to show for their territorial dominance.
Benfica won 2–0 away against AC Milan (half-time 0–1).
AC Milan met Benfica in the UEFA Europa League (League Stage - 1). Kick-off was Wednesday, 16 September 2026, 19:00 UTC at San Siro/Giuseppe Meazza. Referee: Jarred Gillett.
Team pages: AC Milan · Benfica · UEFA Europa League
Key moments
- 16' Goal: Dodi Lukebakio (assist: Jakub Kamiński) — 0–1 · Watch Dodi Lukebakio's goal video (16')
- 53' Goal: Jakub Kamiński (assist: Souffian El Karouani) — 0–2 · Watch Jakub Kamiński's goal video (53')
Starting line-ups
AC Milan (3-4-2-1)
Benfica (4-2-3-1)
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave AC Milan 40%, the draw 25%, Benfica 35%. It finished AC Milan 0–2 Benfica.
Home ground outweighs Benfica's rating edge — Benfica are the stronger side on our strength rating, but UEFA Europa League home advantage gives AC Milan the lean. The draw at 25% is held down by a high-scoring environment.
Why AC Milan at 40%?
Home ground, against the rating. Benfica sit 95 points higher on our strength rating — 1938 to 2032. Sides with a 50–100-point rating edge on the road won 32.9% of 10,639 such games. UEFA Europa League home sides out-perform the global norm — and the difference mostly flows to draws (22.8% vs 24.9% norm). UEFA Europa League homes won 47.6% of 4,438 games vs 44.9% across all 100,233 — outside the noise band, so the tally moves accordingly.
Why only 40%?
Because Benfica are the stronger side on our strength rating. Benfica hold 14 more possession points (66 to 52 in recent games) across a 95-point rating gap. Control now carries a receipt beyond near-equals too: sides with this control edge at a 75–150-point rating gap won 42.6% of 8,685 such games where the class table expected 41.3%.
Why the draw at 25%?
With a rating gap this size the draw starts at 28.3%. These teams' recent games average 3.4 goals — a high-scoring environment. Games in that environment drew 22.8% of 17,225. The goals environment takes 2.2 points off the draw. UEFA Europa League produces fewer draws than most, taking 2.1 points off.
What did we measure but not count?
Last five: AC Milan L-W-W-D-D, Benfica W-W-W-W-W — Benfica are clearly the hotter side on recent results, and unbeaten in their last 11 in all competitions (9 wins, 2 draws), a run going back to July 2026. Between equals, recent form told us almost nothing: the home side won 44.6% of 2212 games when clearly hotter and 42.7% of 4037 when clearly colder. Benfica played 3 competitive matches between 5–13 September 2026 (UTC dates). AC Milan played 2 matches in the same 14-day window before kickoff. The busier schedule is worth watching.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the AC Milan vs Benfica final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this UEFA Europa League fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
- Watch Dodi Lukebakio's goal against AC Milan (16').
- Watch Jakub Kamiński's goal against AC Milan (53').
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from AC Milan 0–2 Benfica. Explore more on the AC Milan and Benfica team pages or the UEFA Europa League page.
Quick answers
›What was the final score of AC Milan vs Benfica?
Benfica won 2–0 away against AC Milan (half-time 0–1).
›Who scored in AC Milan vs Benfica?
Dodi Lukebakio (16') for Benfica; Jakub Kamiński (53') for Benfica.
›Where can I watch AC Milan vs Benfica highlights?
Goal highlights and video clips from AC Milan 0–2 Benfica are on this page — open the videos tab to watch every goal.