AC Milan began their 2026-27 Europa League campaign with a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Benfica at San Siro on Thursday, September 17. The result highlighted several weaknesses that have affected the Rossoneri during the early stages of the season. Benfica opened the scoring through Dodi Lukebakio in the 16th minute before Jakub Kaminski doubled the advantage eight minutes into the second half. Milan had opportunities to respond but struggled to produce enough quality and consistency in the final third to seriously trouble the Portuguese side’s defence.

The defeat also raised questions about how effectively Ruben Amorim’s tactical approach is being implemented. The Milan coach wants his team to play with aggression, intensity, pressing and greater control of matches, a style that differs from the more cautious approach associated with Massimiliano Allegri. However, an aggressive system requires strong technical execution and coordinated movement throughout the team. Against Benfica, Milan often failed to apply sufficient pressure while also struggling to create meaningful attacking opportunities, leaving gaps that the visitors were able to exploit.

Defensive organization proved particularly problematic, with too much space appearing between Milan’s players. Lukebakio’s opening goal illustrated the issue, as his movement from the right into a central area was not tracked effectively, allowing him to find another opening after already threatening moments earlier. The second goal exposed another lapse in defensive awareness, as El Karouani had enough time to assess the situation before finding Kaminski in an unmarked position. These moments demonstrated how individual concentration and collective coordination remain areas that Milan need to improve.

The lack of attacking efficiency has made those defensive mistakes even more costly. Milan have conceded six goals across their first five matches of the season and have recorded only one clean sheet, which came against Venezia. At the same time, their attack has not produced goals consistently enough to compensate for defensive vulnerabilities. The Benfica defeat therefore underlined the need for improvement at both ends of the pitch. If Amorim’s aggressive football is to become effective, Milan will need to combine their pressing and attacking ambition with greater defensive discipline and more consistent finishing.