Cremonese Vs Milan: Pavlovic’s shoulder and Leão’s stoppage finish secure late 2-0 win
Milan delivered a late response in the cremonese vs milan fixture, winning 2-0 at Cremonese after Strahinja Pavlovic put them ahead in the 90th minute and Rafael Leão added a second five minutes into stoppage time. The victory nudges Milan closer to Champions League qualification and leaves Cremonese deeper in trouble as the season heads into its final phase.
Cremonese Vs Milan decided by a 90th-minute shoulder and a stoppage-time finish
Strahinja Pavlovic put Milan ahead in the 90th minute when the ball went in off his shoulder following a corner; a VAR review confirmed it struck his shoulder rather than his arm. Rafael Leão then finished simply five minutes into added time to make it 2-0. Milan had earlier wasted a series of chances in Cremona, and the two late strikes shaped a result that flattered a drab display from the visitors.
What the result means for Milan and the title/Champions League picture
The late win moved second-placed Milan closer to Champions League football next season. One account placed Milan 10 points behind local rivals Inter, while a separate preview noted Milan trailing first-placed Inter by 13 points with 12 rounds remaining. Next weekend’s Milan derby was described as carrying little more than local pride, with 11 games remaining in the league campaign. Milan had suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Parma the previous weekend, an 80th-minute winner at San Siro that was hotly debated before a VAR check confirmed its validity.
Cremonese sliding toward relegation and pressure on Davide Nicola
Jamie Vardy’s Cremonese are sliding towards relegation to Serie B after a run that includes a 13th straight match without a win, leaving them outside the drop zone on goal difference. Another assessment placed Davide Nicola’s side 17th in the standings and just outside the drop zone on goal difference. The Grigiorossi are enduring their second-worst run ever in Italy’s top flight, failing to score in 10 of 12 winless matches and last tasting success in December. Last week’s 3-0 loss to Roma at the Stadio Olimpico allowed Fiorentina to overtake them in a six-club battle to avoid the final relegation place, and Nicola’s job was said to be under serious threat one year on from winning the Serie B playoffs.
Team news and injuries ahead of fixtures
Milan face absences and uncertainties: Ruben Loftus-Cheek suffered a serious facial injury last Sunday and will be out of action for several weeks, while Matteo Gabbia’s recovery from a flexor issue remains unclear in the provided context. Mexico striker Santiago Gimenez was listed as the visitors’ only other absentee; Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leão had recently returned to fitness. Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Fullkrug were both noted as in contention for two attacking places. A preview dated 27 Feb 2026 and updated 01 Mar 2026 also referenced Federico Bonazzoli’s August strike that sealed Cremonese’s famous 2-1 win and the remote prospect of a promoted side completing a league double over Milan—the last promoted team to do so was Ascoli in 1987.
Weekend roundup: Sevilla comeback, Stuttgart rout, Emre Can injury and Serie A permutations
Across Europe, Sevilla came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Real Betis in a derby at Betis’s temporary La Cartuja; Alexis Sánchez pulled one back after the hour and Isaac Romero drilled home from outside the box in the 85th minute to salvage a point. Antony had opened the scoring in the 16th minute with an acrobatic overhead kick and Álvaro Fidalgo added the second before half-time after a pass from Abde Ezzalzouli. The draw left Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis fifth, eight points behind Atlético Madrid and Villarreal in third and fourth respectively, complicating their hopes of Champions League qualification.
In the Bundesliga, Jamie Leweling grabbed a first-half double and Deniz Undav scored again as Stuttgart cruised to a 4-0 home victory over Wolfsburg. Undav pounced on a poor clearance to put Stuttgart ahead with his 14th league goal after 21 minutes; Chris Fuehrich found Leweling on the half-hour mark and Leweling volleyed in again just before half-time, with Nikolas Nartey scoring with the final kick of the match. Stuttgart drew level with third-placed Hoffenheim on 46 points. Wolfsburg have not been relegated since their promotion in 1997, have won just one of their last 10 games and sit second bottom, three points from the last safe spot.
In other major developments, scans confirmed Borussia Dortmund captain Emre Can tore an anterior cruciate ligament in Saturday’s 3-2 home defeat by Bayern Munich, and he will miss the remainder of the season. In Serie A, Juventus’s elimination from the Champions League by Galatasaray and Inter’s exit at the hands of Bodø/Glimt were noted as damaging Serie A’s hopes of securing a fifth European slot next season; Juventus began the weekend in fifth, four points behind Roma, with the gap reducible to one point or extendable to seven depending on results in the coming fixtures.
