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Samuel Chukwueze scores in the 55th minute, AC Milan beats Real Madrid 1-0 at Soldier Field

Samuel Chukwueze scores in the 55th minute, AC Milan beats Real Madrid 1-0 at Soldier Field

Real Madrid midfielder Mario Martín, left, and Milan forward Christian Pulisic chase the ball during the second half of a friendly soccer match Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
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Real Madrid midfielder Mario Martín, left, and Milan forward Christian Pulisic chase the ball during the second half of a friendly soccer match Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
By  TIM CRONIN
Updated 3:28 AM UTC, August 1, 2024
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CHICAGO (AP) — Samuel Chukwueze scored in the 55th minute and AC Milan beat Real Madrid 1-0 on Wednesday night at Soldier Field in an international friendly.

Unmarked as he raced down the right side, Chekwueze left-footed Mattia Liberali’s pass behind goalkeeper Thibault Courtois from 8 yards out.

“The result isn’t that important, but winning in general is important,” new Milan coach Paulo Fonseca said. “I’m really positive about tonight. It was our clear intention to dominate the game with the ball.”

Real Madrid was held to eight shots, six in the second half. What would have been Madrid’s best chance was ruled offside, a shot by Brazilian forward Endryck Moreira in the 12th minute. Goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani stopped it before the flag went up.

Milan had 10 shots, one by Christian Pulisic, the U.S. national team captain who entered in the 65th minute. Courtois stopped him on a 10-yard kick from the right side.

Playing without notables Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, among others, in the preseason exhibition series, Real Madrid coach Carlos Angelotti focused on working newcomer Moreira into the lineup for the first time.

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“We ran with a younger squad, so we know it wasn’t going to be the easiest match,” Angelotti said through an interpreter. “They had a lot of possession, the momentum. They played the quicker game.”

AC Milan, which beat Manchester City 3-2 on Saturday, also started a collection of subs under Fonseca.

“We’ve got three weeks of work ahead of us before Serie A starts,” Fonseca said. “It’ll take a lot of work to improve, but we can see something happening in our game.”

Chukwueze, who had one goal last season for Milan in 24 appearances, had Milan’s best first-half chance in the eighth minute, but Courtois made a diving stop.

Real Madrid hopeful Ceasr Palacoio injured his left knee on a hard tackle four minutes into the second half.

___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer