Gonçalo Ramos Breaks Through as AC Milan Beat Venezia 2-0 to Keep Perfect Serie A Start

AC Milan needed patience before Gonçalo Ramos finally gave San Siro the moment it had been waiting for.

The Portuguese striker scored his first home goal for the Rossoneri in the 69th minute before Redouane Halhal’s late own goal completed a 2-0 victory over Venezia in Serie A Matchday 2 on Friday night.

The win gives Rúben Amorim two victories from his first two league matches as Milan coach and six points from six after last weekend’s 2-1 success at Torino.

For Milan, however, the more important development was not simply maintaining a perfect start. This was a match that tested the exact issue identified before the season began: whether their new No. 9 could turn long spells of territorial control into the central attacking punishment the team lacked last year.

Ramos eventually provided the answer.

The Sports Encounter identified the Portuguese forward as one of the players capable of changing Milan’s entire attacking structure in our complete Serie A 2026-27 season preview. His first San Siro goal arrived on a night when Milan had to work considerably harder for the breakthrough than the final score suggests.

Readers can follow Italy’s title race, European competitions and major club developments through The Sports Encounter Soccer Hub.

AC Milan vs Venezia: Match at a Glance

Match Detail	Information
Competition	Serie A 2026-27
Matchday	2
Date	August 28, 2026
Venue	San Siro, Milan
Result	AC Milan 2-0 Venezia
Halftime	0-0
First Goal	Gonçalo Ramos, 69′
Second Goal	Redouane Halhal own goal, 89′
Milan Record	2 wins from 2 Serie A matches
Next Milan League Match	Juventus away, September 6

The result and official match details are confirmed by AC Milan’s official match report and the official Lega Serie A match center.

TL;DR: Milan 2-0 Venezia

• AC Milan defeated Venezia 2-0 at San Siro.
• The first half ended goalless despite Milan creating the stronger attacking moments.
• Gonçalo Ramos opened the scoring in the 69th minute.
• The goal was Ramos’ first at San Siro for Milan.
• Redouane Halhal scored an own goal in the 89th minute to make it 2-0.
• Milan have now won both of their opening Serie A matches under Rúben Amorim.
• The Rossoneri have six points from six after also beating Torino 2-1.
• Venezia remain without a Serie A away victory since February 2022.
• Milan ended a four-match home league winless run that stretched back to March.
• Juventus away is next for Milan in Serie A on September 6.

Ramos Spends an Hour Searching for the Goal Milan Bought Him to Score

Milan’s summer investment in Ramos was always going to be judged differently from most signings.

Midfielders can influence games without scoring. Defenders can establish themselves through positioning and consistency. A center forward bought to solve a finishing problem eventually needs goals.

Friday gave Ramos that first meaningful home breakthrough.

The opening hour had tested his patience.

Milan moved the ball well enough to establish territorial control during the first half, and Ramos found opportunities inside the Venezia defense without converting them. One early chance passed without reward, while another promising position ended with goalkeeper Filip Stanković denying him.

The important part was what happened afterward.

Ramos did not disappear from the game.

He continued occupying the central defenders, remained available between and around Venezia’s back three and waited for the moment when Milan’s possession finally produced a clean enough opening.

It arrived in the 69th minute.

The finish gave Milan the lead and gave Ramos something that mattered almost as much as the three points: his first goal in front of the San Siro crowd.

Why Ramos’ Goal Matters Beyond Matchday 2

Milan scored only 53 league goals last season.

That number was one reason the club moved aggressively to add a more natural penalty-area striker during the summer.

Our early Serie A title-race analysis identified Ramos as the player who could reduce Milan’s dependence on Rafael Leão and Christian Pulisic to create and finish too much of the attacking work themselves.

Friday offered the first evidence of that idea working in a league match at home.

Milan finally have a central reference point

Ramos does not need to dominate every attacking phase to change the geometry of the team.

His presence forces center backs to remain occupied centrally, creates room for attacking midfielders around him and gives Milan a natural target when possession reaches the final third.

The goal against Venezia matters because it came in exactly the type of match where Milan frequently struggled last season: heavy possession, limited space and an opponent prepared to defend deeply for long periods.

Venezia Make Milan Work for Every Meter

The 2-0 scoreline can make the match look more comfortable than it felt before Ramos scored.

Venezia arrived at San Siro after losing 2-0 to Lecce on the opening weekend, but Giovanni Stroppa’s side showed little interest in allowing Milan an early procession.

The visitors used a 3-5-2 shape and tried to compress central areas, forcing Milan to move possession around rather than directly through the middle.

That approach worked for an hour.

The first half ended 0-0.

For a newly promoted team playing away against a club expected to challenge near the top of Serie A, that was a reasonable platform.

The problem was sustainability.

Defending against Milan for 90 minutes requires concentration across repeated phases. Once Ramos broke the deadlock, Venezia had to open the match enough to search for an equalizer.

That altered the conditions.

Amorim’s Milan Win a Different Kind of Match

Milan’s opening victory at Torino was defined by a sudden second-half burst.

Teenager Alphadjo Cissè scored before Adrien Rabiot added another goal moments later, and Milan eventually held on for a 2-1 victory.

That result formed one of the most interesting stories in The Sports Encounter’s Serie A opening-weekend wrap.

Venezia required something else.

There was no quick exchange of goals to create momentum.

Milan had to tolerate a match that remained unresolved deep into the second half.

That distinction is important for Amorim.

His system asks teams to create numerical advantages through structured buildup and aggressive positioning. Against opponents defending in deeper blocks, however, positional superiority does not automatically produce clear chances.

The Rossoneri therefore needed discipline rather than impatience.

Two victories from two matches do not prove that Amorim’s reconstruction is complete. They do show that Milan have already found two different ways to win.

Luka Modrić Gives Milan the Calm Such Matches Require

Amorim started Luka Modrić in midfield alongside Yunus Musah.

At 40, the Croatian remains a remarkably useful player for precisely this type of fixture.

Venezia were comfortable allowing Milan possession in less threatening areas. The challenge was finding the correct moment to accelerate without turning patient circulation into sterile possession.

Modrić’s value remains his understanding of those moments.

The Sports Encounter explored that role when Modrić extended his Milan contract through June 2027. His influence is increasingly less about covering enormous distances and more about recognizing where a game is beginning to open.

He played until the 74th minute before Ardon Jashari replaced him.

By then, Milan had finally moved ahead.

Amorim Uses His Bench Without Losing the Shape

The Milan coach made his first double change in the 59th minute.

Alexis Saelemaekers replaced Ruben Loftus-Cheek, while Adrien Rabiot came on for Cissè.

Those changes arrived ten minutes before the opening goal.

The value of the substitutions was not simply adding fresh legs.

Milan maintained their width and structure while increasing the energy around Ramos.

Jashari later replaced Modrić, while Pervis Estupiñán and Matteo Gabbia were introduced late for Davide Bartesaghi and Mario Gila.

Amorim finished the match without sacrificing control in pursuit of unnecessary attacking spectacle.

Halhal’s Own Goal Ends the Contest

Venezia remained within one moment of an equalizer after Ramos scored.

That possibility disappeared in the 89th minute.

Halhal turned the ball into his own net, giving Milan a second goal and removing any final uncertainty from the closing stages.

The own goal should not distract from how the result had been built.

Milan spent most of the match forcing Venezia to defend.

That cumulative pressure eventually created the type of late mistake that often decides games between teams operating with very different territorial ambitions.

Milan Finally Win at San Siro Again

The home setting adds another layer to the result.

Before Friday, Milan had gone four Serie A home matches without a victory. Their previous league win at San Siro came against Torino on March 21.

The official Lega Serie A match preview highlighted that run before kickoff.

For a club whose home stadium is supposed to provide pressure for opponents rather than anxiety for itself, rebuilding authority at San Siro matters.

Milan have now started the new season with an away win and a home win.

That is a small sample.

It is also a considerably healthier opening than the uncertainty surrounding the club during large stretches of last season.

Venezia’s Away Problem Is Becoming a Historical Burden

Venezia entered the match without a Serie A away victory in their previous 26 attempts.

Their last top-flight win on the road came against Torino on February 12, 2022.

Friday extended that sequence to 27 away league matches without victory.

It is a difficult statistic for a newly promoted team because survival often depends on finding enough points away from home when direct rivals become difficult to beat on their own grounds.

Stroppa’s team have now lost their opening two league matches without scoring.

The Sports Encounter’s full Serie A season preview placed Venezia among the clubs likely to spend much of the campaign fighting for survival.

The first two weeks have done little to challenge that assessment.

Milan’s European Schedule Will Test This Progress Soon

Milan’s domestic start becomes more important because European football will soon reduce Amorim’s preparation time.

The Rossoneri are in the Europa League after finishing fifth last season.

The competition’s league phase begins in September, with Milan entering a field that also includes Juventus and several clubs that survived a demanding qualification process.

The final play-off results and qualification picture are covered in The Sports Encounter’s Europa League play-off wrap.

The wider structural challenge is explained in our guide to UEFA’s 2026-27 league-phase format, where clubs finishing outside the top 24 receive no second competition to fall into.

That means Amorim will eventually need rotation without losing the emerging domestic rhythm.

The Next Test Is Much Harder: Juventus Away

Milan now have time to prepare for their first major direct test of the new Serie A season.

Juventus host the Rossoneri on September 6.

Torino and Venezia provided useful early examinations, but Juventus will ask much more demanding questions about Milan’s buildup, defensive transitions and ability to play through pressure.

That match should provide better evidence of where Amorim’s team currently sits in the title hierarchy.

Milan’s history ensures that every strong start is immediately measured against championship expectations. Our tribute to Franco Baresi and the standards he represented at AC Milan illustrated why prolonged mediocrity is rarely accepted around this club.

The modern team cannot borrow anything from that history except the expectation attached to the shirt.

Winning consistently is the only meaningful response.

What Milan’s First Two Games Have Told Us

Area	Early Evidence
Results	Two wins from two matches
Attack	Cissè, Rabiot and Ramos have already scored
Center Forward	Ramos now has his first San Siro goal
Home Form	First Serie A home win since March 21
Tactical Adaptability	Milan have won both a transitional away match and a patient home match
Next Major Test	Juventus away on September 6

The Sports Encounter Verdict

Milan did not need Friday to become an attacking exhibition.

They needed it to become evidence.

The first half showed why the club spent heavily on a central striker. Milan could establish territory, move Venezia backward and create promising situations, but the scoreboard remained untouched.

Ramos eventually changed that.

His 69th-minute goal was valuable because it solved the match and because it represented the type of finish Milan bought him to provide.

Halhal’s late own goal made the scoreline comfortable, while Maignan and the back three protected Milan’s first clean sheet of the league season.

Amorim now has six points from six.

The stronger conclusion is that his team have already shown two ways of collecting them.

At Torino, Milan needed a sudden burst and survived late pressure.

Against Venezia, they had to remain patient until a stubborn defense finally broke.

The next opponent will reveal considerably more.

Juventus will not arrive merely hoping to survive.

If Milan can take the same patience, structure and emerging central threat into Turin, the conversation around their perfect start may quickly move from encouraging rebuild to genuine title relevance.

Italian soccer itself remains in a wider period of change, a theme explored in The Sports Encounter’s analysis of the structural problems facing the Italian game. Milan’s own reconstruction will ultimately be judged by whether their early clarity survives once the schedule and opposition become much harder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won AC Milan vs Venezia?

AC Milan defeated Venezia 2-0 at San Siro in Serie A Matchday 2 on August 28, 2026.

Who scored for AC Milan against Venezia?

Gonçalo Ramos scored Milan’s opening goal in the 69th minute. Redouane Halhal then scored an own goal in the 89th minute to make it 2-0.

Was this Gonçalo Ramos’ first goal at San Siro?

Yes. AC Milan’s official report described the 69th-minute strike as Ramos’ first goal at San Siro.

How many points do AC Milan have after two matches?

Milan have six points from their opening two Serie A matches after beating Torino 2-1 and Venezia 2-0.

Who is AC Milan’s coach in 2026-27?

Rúben Amorim is Milan’s head coach. He has started his first Serie A campaign with two victories.

Did Luka Modrić start against Venezia?

Yes. Modrić started in Milan’s midfield alongside Yunus Musah and was replaced by Ardon Jashari during the second half.

When did AC Milan last win a Serie A home match before beating Venezia?

Milan’s previous home league victory came against Torino on March 21, 2026. They had gone four home Serie A games without a win before defeating Venezia.

Who do AC Milan play next in Serie A?

Milan’s next league match is away against Juventus on September 6, 2026.