AC Milan Triumphs Over Liverpool in Hong Kong Friendly

AC Milan emerged victorious over Liverpool with a 4-2 win in a pre-season friendly held in Hong Kong. The Premier League side introduced its record signing, Florian Wirtz, who made his first start for the club. The match began on a heartfelt note as former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish laid a wreath in honor of ex-teammate Diogo Jota, who tragically died in a car accident alongside his brother, Andre Silva, earlier this month.

The game saw Milan take an early lead with Rafael Leao finding the net in the 10th minute from a Christian Pulisic pass. Liverpool responded with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring an equalizer, assisted by Rio Ngumoha after an impressive long ball from Ryan Gravenberch. However, Leao led a potent counter-attack in the second half, setting up Ruben Loftus-Cheek for Milan's second goal, while further strikes by Noah Okafor sealed the win for Milan.

Liverpool's head coach, Arne Slot, acknowledged the challenges, citing missing key players and experimenting with player positions as factors. Meanwhile, Massimiliano Allegri, appointed Milan's coach in May, expressed satisfaction with his team's performance. Despite the defeat, Liverpool continues its pre-season tour, heading next to Japan for a match against Yokohama FM.

(With inputs from agencies.)