Okafor scores late winner in AC Milan’s victory over Lazio 

AC Milan clinched a narrow 1-0 win against Lazio in a heated encounter marked by Lazio finishing the game with only eight men at the Stadio Olympico on Monday night.

Despite Lazio’s spirited performance, Milan’s substitute, Noah Okafor delivered the decisive goal in the 88th minute, securing a crucial victory for his team.

Similar to the intense performance witnessed in their UCL triumph over Bayern Munich on February 14, the Biancocelesti kept Milan on their toes in the opening exchanges of today’s encounter, creating decisive chances in the final third, only to fail at converting.

Milan, on the other hand, endured a challenging first half, struggling to create clear-cut opportunities despite enjoying spells of possession. It was only towards the end of the half that they began to test Lazio’s goalkeeper, Ivan Provedel, with Christian Pulisic’s hopeful strike forcing a save just before halftime.

However, the momentum titled Stefano Pioli’s men in the second half, with Pulisic particularly causing a handful of problems for Lazio’s defence.

Milan’s pressure eventually led to the home team’s left-back, Luca Pellegrini, being sent off in the 57th minute, after receiving two yellow cards.

With a numerical advantage, Milan pressed forward in search of the winning goal, and got one through Rafael Leao in the 76th minute, only for the lead to be scrapped due to an offside.

In the end, Milan’s perseverance paid off as they finally found the breakthrough in the 88th minute through substitute Noah Okafor, who capitalised on a chaotic sequence in Lazio’s penalty area to score the match’s only goal.

The victory takes Rossoneri’s points to 56 and increases pressure on second-placed Juventus, who have amassed 57 points, after playing a game less.