AC Milan’s dreams of clawing back into the Serie A title race took a massive hit at San Siro, as Parma stunned the Rossoneri with a late goal to claim a 1-0 victory on February 22, 2026. The defeat not only snapped Milan’s impressive 24-match unbeaten run in the league but also left them trailing leaders Inter by a daunting 10 points, a gap that now looks almost insurmountable as the season barrels toward its climax.
Before a packed house at the iconic Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Milan fans could sense the tension in the air. The stakes were sky-high, with every point crucial in the race for the Scudetto. Yet, from the outset, things just didn’t go Milan’s way. The drama started even before kickoff, when defender Matteo Gabbia was forced to withdraw from the starting lineup due to muscular problems during the warm-up. Koni De Winter stepped in, and the reshuffle meant Davide Bartesaghi was deployed in an unusual role as part of a back three—a tactical adjustment that hinted at the night’s unpredictability.
It didn’t take long for Milan’s evening to go from bad to worse. Just minutes after the opening whistle, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the England international midfielder, collided heavily with Parma’s goalkeeper Edoardo Corvi as they both lunged for an acrobatic rabona cross from Alexis Saelemaekers. The collision left Loftus-Cheek bloodied and motionless for several tense moments. Medical staff rushed onto the pitch, and after a lengthy stoppage, he was stretchered off with what appeared to be a serious head injury—possibly a fractured cheekbone or dental damage. According to DAZN Italia, the worst damage was to his teeth, but crucially, Loftus-Cheek never lost consciousness as he was transported to a local hospital for further tests. Ardon Jashari came on as his replacement just 11 minutes into the game, with Milan already missing key striker Santiago Gimenez and having Strahinja Pavlovic only fit enough for the bench after a bruised shin.
Despite the early setbacks, Milan started to assert themselves. The hosts dominated possession and carved out a flurry of chances, with Christian Pulisic in particular looking lively. In the first half, Pulisic fired a powerful shot at Corvi and later sent another effort just over the bar. If fans thought the breakthrough was coming, they were in for a surprise. Parma, who came into the match sitting comfortably in mid-table and already safe from relegation, defended resolutely. The visitors’ strategy was clear: soak up pressure and look to pounce on the counter.
As the match wore on, Milan’s frustration grew. Pulisic saw a low drive cleared off the line by Parma’s Mariano Troilo early in the second half, and Rafael Leao rattled the frame of the goal with a thunderous volley after meeting an Adrien Rabiot cross. The Rossoneri’s attacking quartet—Pulisic, Leao, Rabiot, and Jashari—all registered four attempts each, but Parma’s defense, marshaled by Corvi and a disciplined back line, refused to buckle.
But football, as ever, is a game of fine margins. With 10 minutes left on the clock, Parma finally made their move. After a rare foray forward, Emanuele Valeri whipped in a corner, and Troilo rose above his marker to head the ball into the far post. Initially, the referee Marco Piccinini disallowed the goal for a foul on Milan’s keeper Mike Maignan, but after a tense VAR review, the decision was overturned. The goal stood, sending the Parma bench and traveling supporters into raptures. As reported by VAVEL, "Mariano Troilo had to wait for the VAR review before he could celebrate his first goal in Serie A, which meant the 1-0 for Parma against Milan at San Siro."
Milan threw everything forward in the dying minutes, desperate to salvage something. Massimiliano Allegri, the Milan coach, introduced Zachary Athekame for Fikayo Tomori and Christopher Nkunku for the exhausted Jashari, but Parma’s defense held firm. The visitors, who had only managed nine attempts all evening with a combined expected goals (xG) of 0.46, made their last shot count—while Milan’s 25 efforts (xG 1.33) amounted to nothing. As the final whistle blew, the San Siro faithful watched in disbelief as their team’s unbeaten home record, which had stood since August 23, 2025, was finally broken.
The result was a bitter pill for Milan, who have now suffered just their second league defeat of the campaign. The loss leaves them stuck on 10 points behind Inter, who had earlier extended their lead with a comfortable win at Lecce. Allegri’s pre-match warning that "Milan could not afford any slip-ups in their hunt for the Scudetto" proved prophetic. The Rossoneri’s second-longest unbeaten streak in a single Serie A season is over, and with just 12 matches left, their hopes of a landmark 20th title are fading fast.
For Parma, the victory was a testament to their defensive organization and clinical finishing. Coach Carlos Cuesta’s side has now won back-to-back league games, easing any lingering relegation fears and giving the club a morale boost as they look to finish the season strong. The stats tell the story: while Milan had been in fine form at home—winning seven of their previous 12 matches at San Siro—Parma’s away record had been patchy, with just four wins in 12 outings. Yet, on a night when the odds seemed stacked against them, the visitors found a way to pull off the upset.
The aftermath will be challenging for Milan, who must now regroup quickly. The injury to Loftus-Cheek adds to their woes, especially with a string of crucial fixtures on the horizon, including clashes against Cremonese, Inter, Lazio, Torino, and Napoli. The Rossoneri’s depth will be tested, and Allegri will need to find solutions fast if Milan are to keep their faint title hopes alive.
As the dust settles on a dramatic night at San Siro, one thing is clear: Milan’s margin for error is now razor-thin. With Inter surging ahead and the chasing pack closing in, every match from here on out will feel like a final. For Parma, it’s a night to savor—a rare away triumph at one of Italy’s most storied venues and a reminder that, in football, anything can happen when the pressure is on.