Real Madrid 1 AC Milan 3 – Morata scores as Milan stun Ancelotti's side at the Bernabeu

Real Madrid is not used to that.

After losing 4-0 at home to Barcelona in the Clasico ten days ago, Carlo Ancelotti's team lost 3-1 to AC Milan in the Champions League at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Malick Thiaw gave Milan the lead after a precise shot from Christian Pulisic in the 12th minute, before Vinicius Junior appeared to put his Ballon d'Or disappointment behind him with a Panenka penalty in the 23rd minute.

But former Madrid striker Alvaro Morata restored Milan's lead in the 39th minute after Los Blancos defended poorly. Tijjani Reijnders capped a brilliant performance with a fine goal in the 73rd minute to complete the win – after a late goal from Madrid centre-back Antonio Rüdiger was ruled out for offside.

This ended a 15-game unbeaten Champions League streak for Madrid at the Bernabeu. Ancelotti's side have won two of their four games this season and lost two, leaving them 17th out of 36 teams in the league stage.

So what went so wrong for the Spanish team and so right for Milan?

Guillermo Rai and Anantaajith Raghuraman explain.

Madrid's defense weakens again

Once again, Carlo Ancelotti's team started the game at a disadvantage due to defensive problems.

After a brilliantly taken corner from Pulisic, Thiaw headed past the Madrid defense. Both Eder Militao and Aurelien Tchouameni failed to cover the German centre-back and didn't come close to clearing the danger. The France midfielder was substituted at half-time after being booed by the Santiago Bernabeu crowd.

Thiaw's strike marked the sixth time Los Blancos have conceded a first goal this season and the third time it has happened in the Champions League. They have only kept a clean sheet in one of their last ten games across all competitions.

Pulisic takes a corner as Madrid appear well-marked in the penalty area… (TNT Sports)

But Thiaw doesn't even have to be at his highest to get home (TNT Sports)

It was a far cry from the defensive robustness of last season as they broke their La Liga goals conceded record (20) en route to winning the title. Their attack and defense from set pieces were also crucial in the La Liga-Champions League double. But this was the third goal they had conceded from a set piece this season, excluding penalties – just two fewer than they conceded all of last season.

After the goal, Militao had to clear again after another Pulisic shot, while goalkeeper Andriy Lunin had to make a good save. Lunin had to speak to Militao after these two moments to get the Brazilian to adjust the defense.

But the problems remained and despite Vinicius Jr.'s goal there was still a lack of defensive stability. Just a few minutes later, a poor pass from Tchouameni led to another Milan attack.

Lunin parried the first shot, but Morata remained alone in the penalty area and fired his team's second shot into the goal. Madrid have now conceded 17 goals this season – one of Ancelotti's biggest problems, if not the biggest.

After the break, the defensive weakness continued: Lunin had to make a flying save to keep out a header from Rafael Leao, and Milan took great pleasure in the counterattack. And they were cut open again for Milan's third goal.

Guillermo Rai

How did Vinicius Jr. react to missing the Ballon d'Or?

After an ineffective performance in El Clasico and missing out on the Ballon d'Or to Manchester City's Rodri, all eyes were inevitably on Vinicius Jr tonight. Milan also opted for a tactical formation aimed at helping right-back Emerson Royal suppress the winger with the help of Yunus Musah.

Real Madrid's first trick seemed to be to switch play to strengthen Milan's defense, with Luka Modric attempting several substitutions and balls over the top. Vinicius Jr. scored one such goal in the second minute, but a heavy touch caused the ball to go behind and result in a goal kick. In the sixth minute he played a nice one-two with Kylian Mbappe and created the chance, but the France international couldn't get to grips with Federico Valverde's cross.

Vinicius Jr.'s next attacking involvement came seconds after Madrid trailed 1-0 following a Thiaw header. After Maignan stopped Mbappé's shot, Milan left the ball high up the pitch. Jude Bellingham used Vinicius Jr., whose shot Maignan parried confidently.

His best moment came in the 23rd minute when he won a penalty from Royal, who caught him with a false tackle. Vinicius Jr. converted the penalty with a cheeky Panenka and brought the teams level.

Vinicius Jr. is brought down by Royal… (Manu Reino/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

… and cools down home cool (Mateo Villalba/Getty Images)

There was some theatrics from the Brazilian afterward when Maignan appeared to lightly touch his heel on a quick free-kick, prompting former Madrid star Steve McManaman to express his disappointment in commentary for TNT Sports. Shortly afterwards, Tchouameni's poor pass forward to Vinicius Jr. was intercepted by Milan, leading to Morata's goal. While the main blame should lie with the midfielder, Vinicius Jr. chose to insult Tchouameni rather than hit back.

Madrid's pressing from the front remained a problem for much of the game, with both Vinicius Jr and Mbappe showing a lack of work off the ball. Madrid's midfield also lacked glory and were often hesitant to lock down a free Milan midfielder, but they could have used more support from their superstar strikers.

Vinicius Jr. was also frustrated in the second half. He found it difficult to see clear opportunities while the chances he did create, including a great late opportunity for Militao, were wasted. He also lost some physical fights with Musah and Thiaw and was charged with dissent after the latter dispossessed him.

Anantaajith Raghuraman

Reijnders was key to Milan's impressive performance

Many of Milan's players will finish this memorable evening with great credit, but Reijnders was undoubtedly the heartbeat of a thrilling away win.

Madrid's lack of pressing as Milan got past their strikers – which didn't require too much effort – allowed Reijnders to control the game from midfield. He constantly dropped to receive the ball from his defense and had time on the ball, which allowed him to find Milan's strikers in dangerous areas.

In the second half, Reijnders showed much more defensive awareness and his ability to dictate the tempo was crucial in preventing Milan from conceding early – an aspect that doomed Borussia Dortmund in Madrid's last Champions League game. He continued to distribute passes around the pitch and as Madrid sent their men forward, spaces opened up for Milan to exploit and his ability to move away from danger was vital.

This quality ultimately gave Milan its third goal. Good work from Tammy Abraham ensured Reijnders received the ball, who was put under pressure by three Madrid players. He took a series of quick touches before escaping them all with a quick pace, finding Leao who darted towards goal before firing the ball into the box. The setback was met by Reijnders, who had raced past his inattentive markers. The ball was just behind him and coming at great speed, but the Dutchman controlled it with ease and, with all the time in the world, fired a half-volley past Lunin to make it 3-1 for Milan.

Reijnders completed all but one of his 52 passes, shot twice on goal and won two duels – one of the most successful midfield performances in a Champions League game at the Bernabeu since Dusan Tadic led the way in Ajax's famous 4-1 semi-final win Hand had in 2019. It seemed like déjà vu for Madrid after Pedri and Frenkie de Jong played with them for Barca less than two weeks ago.

Anantaajith Raghuraman

The defeat puts Ancelotti in an uncomfortable position

Just two months ago, in Monte Carlo after the Champions League draw, Emilio Butragueno, Real Madrid's director of institutional relations, was asked what the team's goal was in the competition: “It is very important to be in the top eight (in the league standings) because we would avoid an additional play-off before the round of 16.”

But as of today, Madrid is far from the top spots. After two defeats against Lille and this one against AC Milan, Ancelotti's team is in 17th place with two wins and two defeats.

The future doesn't look much brighter: their next game is at Anfield against Liverpool, so they need to try and get back into form if they want to progress to the next round without any drama.

In any case, this latest defeat shows that the team has lost its invincibility at home in the Champions League – with 15 games unbeaten at the Bernabeu in the competition until tonight.

The doubts about their style of play and the successive negative results put Ancelotti and his coaching team in an uncomfortable position. Although the board did not consider any drastic changes after the Barcelona game, given everything the Italian has achieved in the last three years, it remains to be seen how he can improve things.

Their next game before the international break is against Osasuna on Saturday and offers them a good opportunity to regain their confidence. What is certain, however, is that this is the most difficult moment of Ancelotti's second spell in Madrid.

Guillermo Rai

What did Carlo Ancelotti say?

We will let you know after he speaks at the post-match press conference.

What's next for Real Madrid?

Saturday November 9th: Osasuna (H), La Liga, 1:00 p.m. GMT, 8:00 a.m. ET

Recommended reading

(Top photo: Oscar del Pozo/AFP via Getty Images)