AC Milan in cruise control after thumping victory over Rennes

AC Milan took a significant step towards securing a spot in the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League by securing a convincing 3-0 win against Rennes at the San Siro.

Fresh from their victory against Napoli, Milan entered this match with confidence and immediately put pressure on their French opponents.

Despite recent transfer rumors surrounding Rafael Leão, he showed no signs of distraction as he skillfully controlled a diagonal pass with his chest and swiftly moved onto his right foot. His shot from outside the box deflected off a Rennes defender and hit the crossbar before going over.

Milan, under the guidance of Stefano Pioli, continued to dominate possession and create scoring opportunities. However, they were almost caught off guard when Benjamin Bourigeaud's quick shot from the edge of the box narrowly missed the target.

After surviving this scare, Milan finally broke the deadlock in the 30th minute. Alessandro Florenzi delivered a superb cross from the right, finding Ruben Loftus-Cheek unmarked. The Englishman leaped and directed a header into the far corner, with the ball grazing the inside of the post.

Julien Stéphan's Rennes team had been on a winning streak of eight matches in all competitions, but once again they were unable to overcome Loftus-Cheek's impact right after halftime.

Loftus-Cheek was quick to react when Steve Mandanda made an impressive save from Simon Kjær's header, diving through a crowd of players to head the ball into the empty net on the 48th minute.

This marked Loftus-Cheek's second brace in less than a month, as he had also scored two goals against Bologna on January 27th.

Milan was in top form, and it seemed like a third goal was imminent. Leão skillfully set up Theo Hernandez with a backheel pass and then sprinted into the box to meet his captain's cross. He calmly side-footed the ball into the far corner, leaving Mandanda helpless.

Rennes struggled to respond, with Mike Maignan easily saving Amine Gouiri's attempt on the 70th minute. Milan substitute Noah Okafor had a shot cleared off the line after Mandanda had denied Christian Pulisic.

However, despite these efforts, Rennes suffered a comfortable defeat, leaving them with a daunting task in the upcoming second leg. The Rossoneri have a firm grip on the match as they travel to northwest France.