Four minutes after the half at a throbbing San Siro, France striker Giroud hammered home a trademark header to rekindle Milan’s hopes of making it to the round of 16 and snap out of their dismal recent run of form.
Starting the day at the bottom of Group F, Stefano Pioli’s team is now well placed to advance to the knockout stages; with five points, they are only one point behind PSG, who hold the second qualification spot.
Tuesday’s victory served as payback for a 3-0 thumping in Paris two weeks prior, and it featured Milan’s first goals in the competition this year. In the twelfth minute, the highly skilled Rafael Leao tied the score for the hosts after former Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar had given PSG the early lead.
There was a French touch to the finish that defeated Ligue 1 champions PSG, with Giroud’s winning goal marking his seventh goal of the year across all competitions. Theo Hernandez provided the precise cross that his Les Bleus teammate scored.
Milan’s next game could prove to be vital to their chances of qualifying out of the group as they take on group leaders Borussia Dortmund, who moved up to the top spot from PSG by one point after defeating Newcastle United 2-0 earlier on Tuesday.
Additionally, their supporters exacted revenge on the league’s most hated player, Gianluigi Donnarumma, who unceremoniously defected from Milan to PSG as a free agent two years prior and was met with an angry chorus from the crowded stands.
The day became extremely intense when the teams took to the field and home fans unleashed their fury on Italy goalkeeper Donnarumma. The day began with the news that a PSG fan had been stabbed during altercations between the two sets of supporters late on Monday night.
Thousands of counterfeit dollar bills featuring his image along with the derogatory moniker “Dollarumma” and the word “mercenary” were printed by Milan supporters.