Fonseca: Substitutes won the game for Milan

Milan had substitutes Noah Okafor and Samuel Chukwueze to thank for beating Club Brugge in the Champions League on Tuesday, according to head coach Paulo Fonseca.

The 3-1 home victory ensured Milan earned their first points of their European campaign, with Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders scoring a brace in the second half.

Okafor came on for Ruben Loftus-Cheek after an hour with the game at 1-1, while Chukwueze was swapped in for Rafael Leao, and both players provided assists for Reijnders to win the game.

“The credit goes to the players and mainly to those who came on,” Fonseca told a press conference.

“They changed the match, changing our game, the intensity.”

At the time Fonseca made the changes, Milan were labouring against a Club Brugge side who were playing with 10 men after midfielder Raphael Onyedika had been sent off in the first half.

“Obviously, in the first half, we didn’t do things well,” Fonseca said.

“We were up against a team with 11 players that was very deep, then with numerical inferiority, they became even deeper.

“We had difficulties in this type of game, in creating and provoking space.

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“Then, when we don’t find the right solution, the game starts to be too slow. When we don’t find space, we need to have a different intensity in our actions. We didn’t do well… I think it was a problem of understanding the game.”

Fonseca brought on 16-year-old Francesco Camarda with Milan leading 3-1, with the teenager playing the final 15 minutes and having a goal ruled out for offside.

“I’m very sorry for the disallowed goal,” said Fonseca. “But it was a beautiful moment for the team, all on the pitch celebrating a child who works so hard.

“Camarda will have many opportunities to score more goals during his career.”

Camarda is the youngest player to have made their debut for Milan in the Champions League at just 16 years and 226 days.

He is also the youngest Italian player to feature in the competition, having beaten the record previously held by former Juventus forward, Moise Kean (16 years, 268 days).