AC Milan began their season with a 2-0 victory over Serie B side Bari in the Italian Cup on Sunday, though the win was marred by an apparent injury to Portugal winger Rafael Leão.
Leão headed in the opener but appeared to hurt his right calf while celebrating and was forced off. His replacement, Santiago Gimenez, later set up Christian Pulisic, who added the second early in the second half at the San Siro. The American had earlier struck the crossbar.
Veteran midfielder Luka Modric made his Milan debut in the 66th minute. The 39-year-old Ballon d’Or winner joined the club last month after 13 years with Real Madrid.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri, back at Milan nearly 15 years after guiding them to the Serie A title, was absent as he began a two-match suspension stemming from a referee outburst in last season’s Cup final while managing Juventus — a controversy that led to his dismissal.
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Milan, normally among the top eight seeds exempted from early Cup rounds, had to play from the start this season after finishing eighth in Serie A and losing the Cup final to Bologna. They will next meet Lecce in late September.
Elsewhere, Empoli, Sassuolo, Genoa, Venezia, Como, Cagliari, Pisa, Palermo, Frosinone and Parma also advanced.
Serie A kicks off next weekend, with Milan hosting newly promoted Cremonese on Saturday. Leão’s availability remains uncertain.