Being a Bournemouth fan must feel like living in a simulation. On Thursday night, the Cherries thumped seven-time European champions AC Milan 3-0 at the Vitality Stadium — in only their third-ever European fixture. After Real Sociedad and Sturm Graz, that’s three Champions League-caliber scalps in one Europa League campaign.
Bournemouth vs AC Milan (Credits: BBC Sport)
Bournemouth 3-0 AC Milan: The Night That Made History
Justin Kluivert scored the opener — 31 years after his father Patrick scored the winner for Ajax against Milan in the Champions League final — before Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan saw red after 27 minutes, effectively killing the contest. But Bournemouth were already the better side by then, in no mood to let the Italians off the hook.
The fairytale context is almost absurd. This is a club that narrowly avoided liquidation in 2008, and as recently as 15 years ago was 17th in League One. “In terms of the story of the club it’s ridiculous,” midfielder Ryan Christie told TNT Sports. “So many of these fans have been here for this journey, so to have nights like this and win as well is special.”
A Sign of Premier League Dominance in Europe
Bournemouth’s win is the latest data point in a worrying trend for the rest of Europe. English clubs played nine games across the continent this week and lost just once — Premier League clubs have lost only four of 26 European fixtures so far this season. Five months after a missed Arsenal penalty denied a Premier League clean sweep across all three UEFA competitions, the English dominance keeps deepening. Milan, Serie A’s fourth-placed side, were simply brushed aside — and, in a nice twist, fielded more English players in their starting XI (three) than the hosts did (two).
Also Read: From Bury to AC Milan: Bournemouth’s Fairytale Journey to ‘Dreamland’
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
