Last Updated on April 20, 2026 9:41 am by ZUWP Automation
Hellas Verona 0-1 AC Milan: Adrien Rabiot’s 41st-minute left-foot finish settles a hard-fought Serie A encounter at the Bentegodi
AC Milan arrived in Verona carrying the weight of a side that had won just once in their previous five Serie A outings, and they left with three points secured by the narrowest of margins. Adrien Rabiot’s goal just before half-time, assisted by Rafael Leão, was the difference between the sides in a match that Hellas Verona did their utmost to salvage but ultimately could not.
For the hosts, this was a fifth match without a win, a winless run that now stretches to five across all competitions. The Bentegodi crowd had reason to believe an equaliser was coming. It never did.
The Goal That Decided It
The match was heading into the interval goalless when Milan struck. In the 41st minute, Rafael Leão played the ball through to Adrien Rabiot, who drove a left-foot shot past the Verona goalkeeper to make it 1-0. It was a composed, deliberate finish from a player who had been quietly influential throughout the first half.
Rabiot’s numbers told the story of a complete performance. He finished with a match rating of 7.67, the highest of any outfield player, and his two shots on target from an expected goals total of 0.29 underlined a ruthless efficiency on the day. His expected goals on target figure of 0.76 suggests the goalkeeper had work to do, and the shot that counted was delivered with conviction.
At the break, Milan led 1-0, and despite the slender margin, they had done enough to warrant it. Verona had been active without being genuinely threatening in the first 45 minutes, and the goal came at precisely the moment the hosts would have been preparing to regroup.
Verona’s Second-Half Push
Hellas Verona came out after the break with renewed urgency. They finished the match with 13 shots to Milan’s six, and six corners to Milan’s one. On paper, that volume of attempts suggests a side that pushed hard for an equaliser. In practice, only two of those 13 shots found the target, and Milan’s goalkeeper was equal to both.
The hosts’ best creative outlet was the player wearing number 24, who completed 37 of 39 passes at a 95 per cent accuracy rate, created four chances, and registered one big chance created. He was rated 7.31, the highest of any Verona player on the pitch, and his 82 minutes were a study in technical quality. But quality in the build-up phase counts for little when the finishing is absent.
Verona’s number 7 summed up the hosts’ afternoon. He had three shots, one on target, and missed one big chance, finishing with an expected goals figure of 0.15 but failing to convert the clearest opportunity that came his way. His possession loss total of 18 also reflected the frustration of a player trying to force the issue against a well-organised visiting defence.
A VAR check in the 75th minute added to the tension inside the Bentegodi, though it did not result in any change to the scoreline. Verona continued to probe, and Milan continued to absorb. The visitors made four substitutions across the second half, managing the game with the pragmatism of a side that knew exactly what they had and were determined to protect it.
The Statistical Picture
Milan’s 53 per cent possession share was modest, but they used it effectively. Their 493 passes, with 410 completed at an 83 per cent success rate, gave them control of the tempo when they needed it. Verona, with 422 passes and 353 completed, were not far behind in volume, but their 21 total crosses, of which only five were accurate, illustrated how often their wide play broke down at the final moment.
The big chances figures were level at one apiece, which tells its own story. Milan created one big chance and took it. Verona created one big chance and missed it. In a match this tight, that conversion gap was everything.
Milan’s captain, wearing number 16 between the posts, made two saves, one inside the box, and was rated 6.82. He was not overworked, but he was reliable when called upon. Leão, who provided the assist, completed 63 minutes before being withdrawn, and his contribution of one big chance created was the decisive act of the afternoon.
Form and Context
Neither side came into this fixture in convincing form. Milan’s record of one win, two draws and two losses across their previous five matches spoke to a side struggling for consistency, with home defeats to Udinese and a loss at Lazio among those results. Verona had not won in five, drawing three and losing two, including a 0-1 defeat at Atalanta.
Head-to-head, this was the fourth meeting between the sides in the recent record, with Milan now holding one win to Verona’s none, and two draws between them. The last encounter, in December 2025, had also ended 1-0 to Milan. History, on this evidence, tends to favour the visitors when these two meet.
Milan also deployed a 3-5-2 formation against Verona’s 3-4-2-1, and the extra central presence helped them manage the game in the second half, winning 37 duels to Verona’s 40 in a closely contested physical battle throughout.
Verdict
A single left-foot strike four minutes before half-time was enough to separate the sides at the Bentegodi. Milan did not play with great flair, but they were clinical where Verona were not, and in a match of fine margins, that was sufficient. For Verona, this result extends a winless run to five matches and leaves them with serious questions about their ability to find the net when it matters. Milan, for their part, will take the three points without ceremony, knowing that in their current form, every victory is hard-earned and none can be taken for granted.