Real Madrid vs. AC Milan final score: UEFA Champions League result, stats as Morata strikes in humbling Santiago Bernabeu defeat

Real Madrid's difficult start to the season took a turn for the worse on Tuesday as AC Milan claimed a hugely impressive 3-1 UEFA Champions League win at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Alvaro Morata scored against his old club to restore the Rossoneri's first-half lead after Vinicius Junior's penalty had cancelled out the opener from Malick Thiaw. Tijjani Reijnders converted from a slick counter-attack to make the win safe for Milan and compound a miserable evening for the Spanish and European champions.

Los Blancos battled from 2-0 down to defeat Borussia Dortmund 5-2 in their previous European outing, but a 4-0 home loss to Barcelona in El Clasico last month came as something of a reality check for Carlo Ancelotti and his underperforming players.

If this game was a chance to set things right and kickstart their season after 10 days off, it's one that passed the holders by. Indeed, this was a result and performance that could lead to serious questions being asked about the future of their coach.

Full commentary and highlights | Team news and lineups

Real Madrid vs. AC Milan final score

Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)

See the latest Champions League league-phase table on SN's live standings hub

Confirmed lineups:

Real Madrid (4-3-3, right to left): 13. Andriy Lunin (GK) — 17. Lucas Vazquez, 3. Eder Militao, 27. Antonio Rudiger, 23. Ferland Mendy (20. Fran Garcia) — 8. Federico Valverde (21. Brahim Diaz), 10. Luka Modric (19. Dani Ceballos), 8. Aurelien Tchouameni (6. Eduardo Camavinga) — 5. Jude Bellingham (11. Rodrygo), 9. Kylian Mbappe, 7. Vinicius Jr.

AC Milan (4-2-3-1, right to left): 16, Mike Maignan (GK) — 22. Emerson (2. Davide Calabria), 28. Malick Thiaw, 23. Fikayo Tomori, 19. Theo Hernandez — 29. Youssouf Fofana, 14. Tijjani Reijnders — 80. Yunus Musah (31. Strahinja Pavlovic), 11. Christian Pulisic (8. Ruben Loftus-Cheek), 10. Rafael Leao (17. Noah Okafor) — 7. Alvaro Morata (90. Tammy Abraham).

WATCH: UEFA Champions League with a FREE trial of Paramount+ in USA | A new era of UEFA Champions League in Australia, only on Stan Sport

This was Madrid's first match since the Clasico, their La Liga game at Valencia last week having been postponed due to the flooding disaster in the region. Such a tragedy had a profound impact on the build-up to this match, which was preceded by a moment's silence to honour those affected, and must be taken into account when evaluating Madrid's performance.

Yet Ancelotti's players have struggled in multiple big games already in 2024/25. They were abject in the first half against Dortmund, having looked toothless in the 1-0 loss to Lille. The second half against Barcelona was borderline embarrassing. Those problems were all on display again as Milan produced by far their finest performance under Paulo Fonseca.

Thiaw's header from Christian Pulisic's corner put the visitors in front and managed to spark Madrid into life after a lacklustre start. Vinicius' cool Panenka from the penalty spot levelled the scores after the Brazilian had been felled by Emerson Royal.

But it was Milan who looked the better side at 1-1, and they capitalised on a bad mistake from Aurelien Tchouameni to regain the lead before the break. The midfielder's poor pass allowed Pulisic to break free down the right, and after Rafael Leao's shot was well saved by Andriy Lunin, it seemed only Morata was alert to the possibility of a rebound. He was unchallenged as he converted from point-blank range.

Try as they might, Madrid could not bring their stars into play with any regularity. Mbappe worked hard and saw a handful of shots come close, but goalkeeper Mike Maignan was his equal. Vinicius threatened down the left, but both Eder Militao and Brahim Diaz wasted his good crosses. Jude Bellingham was hauled off midway through the second half after barely influencing the contest.

By contrast, Milan's players were disciplined, combative, and highly efficient with the ball. Reijnders finished in style at the end of a move he helped to start on halfway, the visitors exploiting Madrid's right flank to excellent effect. The standard of their performance belied the stats, which suggested a closer encounter.

Antonio Rudiger saw a terrific half-volley ruled out for offside, but Milan had earned their luck. Madrid must now regroup and get ready for Osasuna in La Liga prior to the international break.

Next up in the Champions League? Anfield.

Real Madrid vs. AC Milan stats

Real Madrid vs. AC Milan live updates, highlights, and commentary

Fulltime: Real Madrid 1-3 AC Milan

Milan players and fans celebrate as the remaining Madrid supporters inside the stadium make their displeasure very clear. What a magnificent performance from Milan, but my word, Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti are in trouble.

90+6 mins: Abraham bravely gets his head in the way of a vicious Mbappe shot. As he receives treatment, Madrid fans begin leaving the stadium in large numbers. This is a worrying time for this team.

90+3 mins: MILITAO BLASTS OVER! Vinicius gets away from substitute Davide Calabria, but Militao's volley is hammered over the crossbar after he was picked out by his compatriot.

90 + 1 mins: BRAHIM DIAZ HAS TO SCORE! Vinicius' cross is inch-perfect, Diaz is six yards out, but he heads too close to Maignan and the keeper makes a fine one-handed save.

88 mins: HUGE CHANCE FOR 4-1! Once again, Milan attack down the Madrid right, and Hernandez crosses for the arriving Ruben Loftus-Cheek, but he side-foots straight at Lunin.

84 mins: NO GOAL! UEFA has just released the images: Rudiger was narrowly offside when Ceballos' cross came in. It looked at first as though Rodrygo was being punished for being offside while standing near Maignan.

83 mins: There's a long, long check here for a potential offside...

81 mins: GOAL! WHAT A HIT FROM ANTONIO RUDIGER! Ceballos cross is a brilliant one, Maignan stretches to punch it clear, and Rudiger fires into the unguarded net with a sublime half-volley. Fantastic finish. Can Madrid pull this off?

76 mins: Maignan tips a shot wide from Mbappe, which looked like it was going wide anyway. The corner comes to nothing.

73 mins: GOAL! IT'S 3-1, AND WHAT A GOAL FROM REIJNDERS! Substitute Tammy Abraham turns well and sets Reijnders on his way. He feeds Leao, who powers away from Vazquez and cuts the ball back to Reijnders, who smashes past Lunin from close ranger after continuing his run.

69 mins: Pulisic's corner is flicked on and clips the outside of the post! The final touch was off Lucas Vazquez. Madrid are living very dangerously.

67 mins: This could be a big 30 minutes or so for Carlo Ancelotti. His team is offering nothing out there, much as they did against Lille, the first half against Borussia Dortmund, and the second half against Barcelona. If things stay as they are, the veteran coach could find himself in trouble.

61 mins: Wide from Mbappe! Pulisic gives the ball away on the edge of the box, but Mbappe's shot is wide. That was a decent chance.

55 mins: Madrid are trying hard to get back into this but they're leaving themselves open on the break. Leao has twice wasted half-decent opportunities on the counter.

49 mins: The home side are trying to get Jude Bellingham into the game, but it's not working. The Englishman has had another game on the periphery of the action.

Kickoff: Second half

Two changes at the break for the hosts: Fede Valverde and Tchouameni are off, with Brahim Diaz and Eduardo Camavinga coming on.

Halftime: Real Madrid 1-2 AC Milan

Real Madrid are behind at home yet again. They need another lift in this second half, or things are going to start getting very uncomfortable for Ancelotti.

45 + 1 mins: Late pressure from Madrid in this half, but it ends with Modric ballooning a shot over the bar. The home fans are not happy with what they're seeing.

41 mins: Maignan denies Mbappe again! Milan are on the attack, but Eder Militao clears for Mbappe, who sprints through the Milan half and fires low towards goal, only to see his shot just about blocked around the post.

38 mins: GOAL! MORATA PUTS MILAN BACK IN FRONT! It's another awful goal for Madrid to concede. It starts with Tchouameni giving the ball away in his own half. Pulisic gets clear down the right and pulls the ball back for Leao. He turns and shoots, forcing a fine save from Lunin, but Morata follows the shot in and has a simple finish, with no Madrid defender reacting.

USA:

Álvaro Morata 💥

The Spanish forward capitalizes on the rebound and punishes his former club 😤 pic.twitter.com/YCESuH6pWJ

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 5, 2024

UK:

Who else but Alvaro Morata? 😅

The Spanish striker reacts the quickest to score against his former club and restore AC Milan's lead 💥

📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/tHRHuJfTpv

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 5, 2024

35 mins: Vinicius closes down Maignan and concedes a free-kick. As the Milan keeper takes it, he accidentally clips Vinicius with the ball of his heel. The Real Madrid forward drops to the ground and rolls away in a manner that, frankly, is pathetic.

30 mins: Good save, Lunin! Tijjani Reinders tries a shot from a bouncing ball after Madrid clear a corner, and the keeper has to get down to his right to stop the ball finding the corner. Milan then ask for a penalty following the next corner, but Lunin clearly played the ball rather than Thiaw before the defender and keeper collided in midair.

27 mins: Milan have been very good since the goal, taking control of possession and keeping Madrid largely in their own half. Pulisic tries to work some space, but he runs out of room, and the home side win a free-kick on the edge of their own box.

22 mins: GOAL! VINICIUS CONVERTS! He waits for Maignan to move and Panenkas one down the middle. 1-1.

Watch in USA:

Vini Jr. goes for the Panenka vs. Mike Maignan 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/VkPPG2NOYN

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 5, 2024

20 mins: PENALTY TO REAL MADRID! Theo Hernandez's poor clearance goes straight to Ferland Mendy. He plays a quick one-two and Vinicius is away in the box. Emerson slides in and makes enough contact to bring him down. It's checked, of course, but there's no way that is being overturned.

13 mins: Almost a swift equaliser! Madrid launch a quick attack and Maignan saves low from Kylian Mbappe. They reset the attack and Vinicius has a chance, but the angle is narrow and his shot is comfortably saved.

11 mins: GOAL! MILAN ARE IN FRONT! It's such a simple goal for Real Madrid to concede: Christian Pulisic swings in a corner, and Malick Thiaw steers a fine header high into the net from six yards out. He didn't even have to jump.

8 mins: Luka Modric sends a free-kick a bit too close to Mike Maignan to have him worried. It's been a fairly sedate start.

Kickoff: First half

After a powerful moment's reflection for the victims of the floods, the game gets underway.

10 mins before kickoff: Not long to go now...

🔥 VAMOS!
#UCL pic.twitter.com/QhcxMEkRBk

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) November 5, 2024

20 mins before kickoff: "We're all with you" is the message from Milan to Valencia tonight.

A todos los valencianos, estamos con vosotros ❤️ pic.twitter.com/AQJHU0KZaZ

— AC Milan (@acmilan) November 5, 2024

45 mins before kickoff: Alvaro Morata knows all about the demands of playing for — and against — Real Madrid, although he was keen to stress that the terrible scenes in Valencia should not be forgotten amid tonight's match action.

Speaking about the game itself, he told Sky Sport Italia that Milan "need to play with character" and acknowledge the "huge history" of the club. He added: "We can win or lose, but the performance is what we need and to remember we are a club who beat big teams. We need it for us more than anything else: to recognise the great potential that we have."

1 hour 20 mins before kickoff: Real Madrid announced their team typically early. The back four is as expected, but there are starts in midfield for Aurelien Tchouameni and Luka Modric, while it looks like Jude Bellingham will play a more advanced role. Rodrygo is on the bench.

USMNT star Yunus Musah starts for Milan, as does Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao.

2 hours before kickoff: Welcome to today's Champions League clash between Real Madrid and AC Milan — a match that takes place against the backdrop of devastating flooding in Spain. As Carlo Ancelotti said yesterday, it feels like football is of secondary importance at a time like this.

🎙️ @MrAncelotti 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/x0ECQwFC5y

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) November 4, 2024

Real Madrid vs. AC Milan kick off time

The Champions League match kicks off in Madrid, Spain at 9 p.m.local time.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:

Real Madrid vs. AC Milan lineups, team news

La Liga's decision to cancel Real Madrid's game at Valencia was called as the correct move by Ancelotti as Spain reels from flooding on the country's east coast.

Ancelotti's pre-game message firmly focused on football being secondary in the country right now as part of a reserved press conference in Valdebebas.

In terms of team news,  there are starts in midfield for Aurelien Tchouameni and Luka Modric, while it looks like Jude Bellingham will play a more advanced role. Rodrygo is on the bench.

First-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remains out, with Andriy Lunin stepping in. Long-term absentees David Alaba and Dani Carvajal are sidelined until 2025.

Real Madrid (4-3-3, right to left): Lunin (GK) — Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy — Valverde, Modric, Tchouameni — Bellingham, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr.

Real Madrid subs: Gonzalez, Mestre, Camavinga, Rodrygo, Guler, Endrick, Vallejo, Ceballos, Garcia, Brahim Diaz

Injured: Courtois, Alaba, Carvajal
Suspended: None

MORE: All the latest Champions League news | How does the 2024/25 Champions League work? | Full UCL match schedule

AC Milan are still missing some key names from their ranks with Matteo Gabbia, Ismael Bennacer and Alessandro Florenzi all out through injury.

Fonseca rested some key names for the 1-0 weekend win at Monza with Fikayo Tomori and Emerson Royal both set to start in Madrid. USMNT star Christian Pulisic features in the attack, as does compatriot Yunus Musah.

The big call facing Fonseca was on Portugal international Rafael Leao who was dropped to the bench against Monza. Fonseca rejected suggestions of a rift with the player — who has been linked with a transfer to Barcelona — and he returns to the lineup today.

AC Milan (4-2-3-1, right to left): Maignan (GK) — Emerson, Thiaw, Tomori, Hernandez — Fofana, Reijnders — Musah, Pulisic, Leao — Morata

AC Milan subs: Sportiello, Torriani, Calabria, Loftus-Cheek, Okafor, Chukwueze, Pavlovic, Terracciano, Camarda, Abraham

Injured: Gabbia, Bennacer, Florenzi
Suspended: None

Real Madrid vs. AC Milan live stream, TV channel

Here is how to watch the match in some of the world's major regions:

United States:

• TV channel: —
• Live stream: Paramount+, Fubo, ViX, TUDN.com, TUDN App, UniMas

This game is not available for live TV broadcast. Streaming options are available on Paramount+.

Canada:

• TV channel: —
• Live stream: DAZN

In Canada, DAZN provides exclusive live and on-demand access to all of the Champions League matches for the 2024/25 season. 

DAZN originally acquired the streaming rights for the UEFA Champions League in May 2018 while replacing TSN, extended the right to broadcast the tournament from 2024 to 2027 this year.

Australia:

• TV channel: —
• Live stream: Stan Sport

In Australia, the Champions League clash between Real Madrid and AC Milan will be available to watch and stream live exclusively on Stan Sport. 

Australian viewers can catch all 189 Champions League matches on Stan Sport this season. Additionally, they can also catch all UEFA Europa League games and UEFA Conference League fixtures on the platform.

If Real Madrid vs. AC Milan is not available to watch live in your location or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.

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India:

• TV channel: Sony Ten 5
• Live stream: Sony LIV, JioTV

Champions League matches for the 2024/25 season will largely be shown on Jio TV and Sony LIV in India. 

Song LIV originally acquired the streaming rights for the UEFA Champions League in 2017, extended the right to broadcast the tournament till the end of 2026 to 2027 this year.

Every single Champions League match of the 2024/25 competition will be streamed on Sony LIV, and the televised events can also be found on JioTV.

UK:

• TV channel: TNT Sports 4
• Live stream: discovery+

This game is available on TNT Sports 4 for live TV broadcast in UK. Streaming options are available on Discovery+ and Discovery+ App.