Girona went into their first-ever competitive match against Italian opposition looking to shrug off a run of three successive Champions League defeats, in which they failed to notch a single goal.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was the Rossoneri who quickly asserted themselves and it was a combination of wasteful finishing and misfortune that denied the hosts from taking the lead until late in the half.
Tijjani Reijnders and Leao both tested Paulo Gazzaniga early on to set the tone, before Yunus Musah burst into the box but inexplicably opted to send a misguided pass square, despite having the Girona goal at his mercy.
Milan continued to let the Blanquivermells off the hook with Theo Hernandez squandering a gilt-edged opportunity to crown a rapid counter attack, sending a scuffed finish narrowly over the bar to the relief of the Girona rearguard.
It took 37 minutes until the Rossineri finally made their deserved breakthrough. An increasingly influential Leao ruthlessly sent a thumping finish into the roof of the net after latching on to Ismael Bennacer’s threaded ball forward and dribbling his way past veteran defender David Lopez.
Having spent much of the half on the back foot, Girona did show some attacking promise with the outstretched leg of Milan keeper Mike Maiganan denying Venezuelan midfielder Yangel Herrera as the visitors finished the half with an air of defiance.
The second half saw Girona continue to boldly push forward with the slender scoreline keeping their faint hopes of reaching the knockout phase alive. Bryan Gill briefly thought he had levelled only to see his fine, curling finish chalked off for offside.
Despite that setback, and Milan being unable to match the intensity they showed in the opening period, the Blanquivermells struggled to muster further attacking opportunities, with the tempo of the contest fading as it wore on, with the 1-0 scoreline eventually proving sufficient for Milan to see out a fifth successive victory in the competition.
Girona return home left to rue their lack of cutting edge, knowing they’ll be unable to progress further. Meanwhile, confidence will be growing amongst the Rossoneri in the knowledge that they reached the Champions League final on both previous occasions they won five consecutive fixtures.