According to a report by BBC Sport on Thursday, October 15, 2026, the 4-0 triumph over RB Salzburg by AC Milan in their UEFA Europa League match was crucial.

In the 15th minute, Cisse put Milan ahead thanks to a pass from Omari Hutchinson. Milan had a confident start to the match. In the 33rd minute, the forward doubled his side's advantage, finishing off an assist from Davide Bartesaghi, and he kept causing problems for Salzburg's defense.

As Milan dominated play and had more scoring opportunities leading up to halftime, Salzburg found it difficult to mount a response. It would have taken a solid performance from the Austrian side in the second half to get back into the game, but they were dealt another blow soon after halftime.

In the 49th minute, with an assist from Adrien Rabiot, Cisse scored his third goal of the match to complete his hat trick. His outstanding play put Milan up a comfortable three-goal lead, making it difficult for Salzburg to avoid a crushing home loss.

In the 72nd minute, Goncalo Ramos scored for Milan after Ardon Jashari set up the opportunity. Milan's relentless forward pressure continued throughout the match. After conceding the fourth goal, Salzburg never had a chance to win the match.

As the home team's already rough nite took a turn for the worse in the 84th minute, Milan took advantage of the situation by not letting Salzburg score in the final minutes thanks to the red card shown to Filippo Terracciano.

With the crucial win, AC Milan climbed to the fifteenth spot in the UEFA Europa League standings, while RB Salzburg fell to the nineteenth spot following a humiliating loss in front of their home fans.