MILAN, Italy: Zlatan Ibrahimović’s return has once again transformed AC Milan.
When Ibrahimović moved back to Milan at the start of 2020, he sparked a turnaround that saw the club finish second in his first full season and then end their 11-year wait for the league title the following year.
This time, his return from injury has led to Milan’s revival.
Ibrahimović made his first appearance of the season in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Atalanta and at 41 years, 146 days he became the oldest Milan player in Serie A, beating the mark that Alessandro Costacurta had established at 41 years, 25 days.
“There’s great emotion. It’s been a year and a half that I haven’t managed to play soccer as I wanted to, that I wasn’t well and I couldn’t do what I loved,” Ibrahimović said to Italian broadcaster Sport Mediaset. “Before I suffered a lot … because of my physical condition. Now it’s really good to be back on the field.”
The victory was Milan’s fourth straight in all competitions and lifted the team into second place alongside Inter Milan.
That run started with a win over Torino on Feb. 10, ending a streak of seven matches without a victory. Ibrahimović’s first match back in the squad, following knee surgery in May, was that game against Torino, though he didn’t play.
“From the moment I came back into the squad I was sure I could still make a difference and could transmit my certainty and my confidence to the others,” Ibrahimović said. “It wasn’t a happy period when I came back in, but in the last three or four matches we have been playing very well … but we mustn’t let up, because just one defeat is enough to call everything into question again.”
Milan visit Fiorentina on Saturday looking to continue their push for the top four in Serie A in a tight battle for the qualifying positions for next season’s Champions League. The team visit Tottenham in the round of 16 of this season’s competition on Wednesday, protecting a slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg.
A Champions League winner’s medal is one of the few missing items from Ibrahimović’s longlist of honors. The Swedish forward has been left off Milan’s list for the competition this year but could yet have several more chances to win the title.
“If I feel like I feel today, I can continue to play for a few more years still, not just next year,” Ibrahimović said. “The truth is that up until three weeks ago, the feelings weren’t positive. Then something happened and I’ve done more in three weeks than in the past eight months.”
Zlatan Ibrahimović’s return lifts AC Milan yet again
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Zlatan Ibrahimović’s return lifts AC Milan yet again
- Ibrahimović made his first appearance of the season in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Atalanta and at 41 years, 146 days
- He became the oldest Milan player in Serie A, beating the mark that Alessandro Costacurta had established at 41 years, 25 days
Arsenal put away Chelsea to reach League Cup final
- Mikel Arteta’s side had put themselves in pole position in the first leg and Havertz came off the bench to finish the 4-2 aggregate victory in the closing moments at the Emirates Stadium
- In their first final for six years, Arsenal will face Manchester City or Newcastle at Wembley on March 22
LONDON: Arsenal reached the League Cup final for the first time in eight years as Kai Havertz sealed a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the semifinal second leg on Tuesday.
Mikel Arteta’s side had put themselves in pole position in the first leg and Havertz came off the bench to finish the 4-2 aggregate victory in the closing moments at the Emirates Stadium.
It was a cathartic triumph for the Gunners, who had lost their previous four semifinals in the 2025 Champions League and League Cup, the 2022 League Cup and the 2021 Europa League.
In their first final for six years, Arsenal will face Manchester City or Newcastle at Wembley on March 22.
City hold a 2-0 lead over Newcastle ahead of Wednesday’s second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal haven’t won the League Cup since 1993, losing in their last three final appearances.
Now they have the chance to end that drought by winning the club’s first trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.
That remains the sole silverware won by Arteta since he was hired in December 2019.
“We knew it was going to be a real battle out there. That resilience, that clarity to understand what kind of game we had to play, we did so well,” Arteta said.
“There was a special atmosphere inside our stadium. It makes such a difference. We’ve been waiting a few years to get into this position and we’re certainly going to enjoy it.”
It is shaping up to be a memorable season for Arsenal, who are six points clear at the top of the Premier League and reached the Champions League last 16 by winning all eight of their group matches.
Despite their success, Arsenal have attracted criticism for their reliance on goals from corners and set-pieces.
Arteta launched a passionate defense of Arsenal’s style of play this week, revealing he has a “massive book of people” who feel his side are the “most exciting in Europe.”
Tuesday’s war of attrition will hardly silence Arsenal’s critics, but Arteta won’t care about that after leading his team to Wembley.
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior had won six of his seven matches in all competitions since arriving from Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca.
But Rosenior was unable to solve his Arsenal conundrum, with the Gunners handing him the only two defeats of his brief reign.
“Arsenal know they were in a game, over both ties. We dominated the areas we wanted to in the second half, but we didn’t find that quality moment,” Rosenior said.
“It’s painful to lose. We just need to keep making improvements, which I’m seeing from the first leg to the second.”
Knockout blow
Without captain Martin Odegaard, sidelined by a muscle problem, and winger Bukayo Saka, who was injured in the pre-match warm-up at Leeds on Saturday, Arsenal weren’t at their best but still ground out the win.
Rosenior’s switch to a three-man central defense allowed Chelsea to stifle Arsenal in a scrappy first half.
The Gunners briefly shook off their shackles as Piero Hincapie’s curler from just inside the area was palmed away by Robert Sanchez.
It rained so heavily in the first half that Rosenior had to take off his soaked glasses to see what was happening.
Squinting through the squall offered Rosenior an alarming view as Malo Gusto’s misjudgment let in Gabriel Martinelli before the Chelsea defender scrambled back to block the shot.
It took 43 minutes for Chelsea to muster a shot on target when Enzo Fernandez’s long-range blast was punched clear by Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Chelsea needed to push for a goal and Rosenior sent on Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian after an hour, ditching his back three.
Estevao immediately set up Fernandez for a curler that flashed over, but Chelsea’s threat petered out.
Havertz delivered the knockout blow in the final seconds of stoppage-time, rounding Sanchez to slot into the empty net after Chelsea were caught on the counter.
