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AC Milan got 2026-27 off to the best possible start as they won away from home against Torino on Sunday night. After a goalless first half that Milan had dominated, the reward for the pressure came through two goals in quick succession just after the hour mark. First Alphadjo Cisse curled in a feed from Adrien Rabiot, then Rabiot got a goal of his own as he volleyed in Samuel Chukwueze’s cross. Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial! Che Adams got a late consolation, but the Rossoneri hung on for what was only their third win away against Torino in 14 attempts. In addition to that, it is the first time Milan have won their season opener since 2023-24. Ruben Amorim became the first Milan head coach in 10 years to win in his Serie A debut, and the first foreign manager to do so since Leonardo in 2009. How did he achieve it? Rohit Rajeev has the tactical breakdown. Set-up, build-up and press Milan lined up in Amorim’s favourite 3-4-2-1. The back three consisted of new signing Mario Gila, Koni De Winter and Strahinja Pavlovic. Ardon Jashari and Yunus Musah formed the midfield double pivot, while Pervis Estupiñán and Samuel Chukwueze operated as the wing-backs. Alphadjo Cissé – making his official Milan and Serie A debut – and Ruben Loftus-Cheek played as the two inside forwards. Gonçalo Ramos led the line as the No.9. A clear implementation of Amorim’s preferred structure from the very beginning. One key feature of Milan’s build-up play was to bait the press. This would draw the two lines of pressure forward. The other defensive line was pinned back by Ramos and Cissé, which created space between the second and last line of defence. Gila then used his passing range to exploit that space. A simple build-up principle, but executed with precision. Milan pressed high up the pitch. They used a man oriented pressing structure, with each player assigned a marker. Ramos, meanwhile, intelligently positioned himself to block the passing lane to two players. One player, two passing lanes denied. Excellent pressing intelligence from Ramos. Torino’s defensive structure Torino defended in a 5-4-1 shape out of possession, operating from a mid block. The wide pass acted as the pressing trigger: once Milan played wide, Torino would shift across and look to create 5v2 overloads around the ball. The objective was to trap Milan near the touchline and restrict their passing options. It was a well-defined pressing mechanism within Torino’s mid block. Milan frequently looked to beat Torino’s horizontal pressing structure. One method was to overload the side Torino were pressing, before quickly switching play. Milan then looked to exploit the space created on the opposite side, a clever way of manipulating Torino’s defensive structure. Another method was for Gonçalo Ramos to drop short and form passing triangles with RLC and Chukwueze. Ramos intelligently positioned himself between two defenders, received the ball and quickly released it to RLC. This allowed Milan to bypass the pressure and progress through the space created, which is excellent use of positioning and quick combinations to escape the press. First goals of the season Musah’s double movement was key: he initially dribbled towards his own goal before suddenly pulling the ball back, fooling the defenders. Once the ball reached Rabiot, he took a moment to look up and spot the space between the RCB and RWB. With his head over the ball, Rabiot delivered a long, in-swinging cross that Cissé attacked. Instead of applying power, Cissé used the underside of his instep to guide the ball into the net, using the momentum already on the cross. A brilliant combination of movement, awareness, delivery and improvisation. Milan’s second goal was a pressing trap plus smart positional play. The Rossoneri deliberately left a player on the left wing free. Eventually, Torino played to the free player, who was pressed vehemently and forced into a forward pass. Pavlovic pushed forward, creating a 2v1 against Vlasic. Milan won the ball back, Saelemaekers then pulled the ball back to Modric. As the play developed on the left, Chukwueze pulled wide to escape the press. He received Modric’s switch of play and immediately attacked the space. Chukwueze struck the cross with top spin, while Rabiot and Ramos once again occupied the space between the RCB and RWB. A goal built from pressing intelligence, positional manipulation and excellent execution. Box occupation Whenever Chukwueze looked to cross from the right hand side, Estupiñán would make an aggressive run into the box. By filling the box with more runners, Milan increased the number of targets available and therefore the probability of the cross finding a team-mate. Simple but effective box occupation. Il Toro’s late charge Once Mario Gila was substituted, Njie started wreaking havoc on Milan’s right side (he had previously too). Torino began creating overloads with Njie and Cacciamani, using their pace and directness to create chances. Their speed allowed them to attack the space and stretch Milan’s defensive structure. It was a clear tactical shift that gave Torino more joy down that flank. Now is also a good time to point out that Gila showed how important he is going to be in Amorim’s plans. His defensive tenacity and his progressive passing were top notch, while when he came off things fell apart a bit. — Rohit Rajeev (@RohitRajee23232) August 25, 2026 The data ➤ Milan’s PPDA can improve, but the figure was largely affected by the low block adopted after the 75th minute. ➤ The Rossoneri defended with the highest defensive line in Serie A from the first round of action: 49.5m. ➤ Milan recorded 9 turnovers in Torino’s half, with one directly leading to the second goal. ➤ Amorim’s men produced 12 shots from positional attacks, highlighting their ability to create through structured possession. ➤ Milan also outperformed Torino in defensive and aerial duels, showing their strength in the physical side of the game. The numbers underline a performance built around high pressing, territorial control and positional attacking.