AC Milan brushed aside Univesitatea Craiova in front of a euphoric crowd who packed the San Siro for a Europa League qualifier on Thursday.

Giacomo Bonaventura and Patrick Cutrone scored early in each half to give Milan a 2-0 win as they completed a 3-0 aggregate victory in their third qualifying round tie.

Milan's spending spree since the end of last season has revived interest in the side and generated a feeling of unbridled optimism among their supporters.

Their first home European tie for more than three years pulled in a 65,000 crowd to watch them face opponents who finished fifth in Romania last season, the supporters clearly believing that the years of midtable mediocrity are over.

"It's been a great night and the fans deserved it for the love which they have shown the club," said coach Vincenzo Montella.

Milan players celebrate their first goal at San Siro, yesterday.Milan players celebrate their first goal at San Siro, yesterday.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.