With the game-winning goal in Tuesday’s 2-1 triumph against Paris Saint-Germain, Olivier Giroud propelled AC Milan back into Champions League contention. France striker Olivier Giroud blasted home a spectacular header four minutes after the half at a teeming San Siro to rekindle Milan’s hopes of reaching the last 16 and reversing a dismal recent run of form. Stefano Pioli’s side started the day at the bottom of Group F but are currently in contention for the knockout stages, sitting third with five points, one behind PSG in second place.

Tuesday’s victory was avenging a 3-0 thrashing in Paris a fortnight ago, and it featured Milan’s first goals in the competition this season, with Rafael Leao bringing the hosts level  in the 12th minute after former Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar had nodded PSG into an early lead.

Giroud’s winner was his sixth goal of the season in all competitions, and the finish had a French flair, with Theo Hernandez delivering the perfect cross from which his Les Bleus teammate finished.

“I am speechless but so proud of the team, we worked incredibly hard — I am really happy.”

Milan will next visit group leaders Borussia Dortmund, who moved one point ahead of PSG with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United earlier on Tuesday, in a match that might be key to their chances of progressing out of the group.

Their fans also exacted vengeance on public enemy number one Gianluigi Donnarumma, who controversially left Milan for PSG as a free agent two years ago and was met with a barrage of vitriol from the packed terraces.

A day that began with reports that a PSG fan had been stabbed in skirmishes between both sets of fans late Monday night reached a fever pitch when the teams took the field and home fans unloaded on Italy goalie Donnarumma.

Donnarumma despises

They were led onto the field following the typical pre-match display, amid loud, disparaging chants directed at Donnarumma, which only grew louder when he had to walk towards the goal closest to Milan’s diehard fans right before kick-off.

Some supporters rolled the dollars into hard balls and threw them onto the field, where they pinged off the turf just next to where he was standing.

Read Also:FPL Gameweek 11 Recap: Lowest Scoring Gameweek; iSoccer Winners

After Leao’s scorching run and cut-back, Milan could have seized the lead immediately when Ruben Loftus-Cheek hammered a fantastic chance over the bar.

Three minutes later, Skriniar put the visitors ahead as Loftus-Cheek allowed him to drift away and calmly tip in Marquinhos’ flick-on from a corner.

PSG were dangerous on practically every attack, and in the 27th minute, Ousmane Dembele thwacked the crossbar after Mike Maignan had to come off his line twice to stop Kylian Mbappe.

In a breathless first period, Giroud hammered into the side netting after Loftus-Cheek’s strong dribble, but he got his moment of glory with a textbook centre-forward’s header after Leao nearly poked home.

PSG were furious after what they thought was a foul on Achraf Hakimi by Leao, who was still on the ground when Giroud scored the game-winning goal.

With five minutes remaining, Donnarumma expertly deflected wide Noah Okafor’s angled shot, denying Milan a more convincing victory.

Dormund beat Newcastle

Borussia Dortmund are top of the group after beating Newcastle 2-0 in Germany, with Niclas Fuellkrug and Julian Brandt scoring the goals, one in each.

“When you concede four goals in this stadium three days ago, it feels good to hold a very good English team to nil — and the two goals will do us good,” Brandt told Amazon Prime as Dortmund bounced back from Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing by Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.