Ante Rebic (2nd R) of AC Milan celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A match between Brescia Calcio and AC Milan at Stadio Mario Rigamonti on January 24, 2020 in Brescia, Italy.
AC Milan's Croatian forward Ante Rebic scored the winner for the second week running as they beat Brescia 1-0 away in Italian Serie A on Friday, sparing the blushes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic after an extraordinary miss by the 38-year-old.
Ibrahimovic had only to tap the ball in from six meters after Theo Hernandez sent in a low cross in the 40th minute but the Swedish striker instead contrived to shoot wide, his only excuse being that the ball might have been slightly behind him.
He made amends by setting up the winning goal in the 71st minute. Ibrahimovic pulled the ball back from the byline and, after a scramble in the area, Rebic turned it from close range.
In between, Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a series of saves to keep his side in the match.
The win continued a mini-revival for Milan, who are unbeaten in five games in all competitions since Ibrahimovic returned for a second stint at the club on a six-month contract in January.
"We are a completely different team from the one who started the season," said coach Stefano Pioli. "Technically, we can do better but we have a great attitude, we know how to suffer and pull a winning goal out of the hat.
"Ibrahimovic has only scored one goal but with him on the pitch we have managed four wins and a draw (in all competitions since he joined) because he is an added value thanks to his presence and quality."
The win took Milan up to sixth with 31 points from 21 games.
Brescia, stuck in the relegation zone with 15 points, were missing forward Mario Balotelli who began a two-match suspension after he was sent off for insulting the referee in a 2-2 draw with Cagliari on January 19.
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SERIE A
