(TAP) - Etoile du Sahel, defending Tunisia's League 1 champions, suffered a heavy defeat to Italian Serie A side AC Milan (4-0) in a friendly match played on Saturday at the Italian team's training centre, Milanello, as part of the two teams' preparations for the new season. The Rossoneri goals were scored by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who scored a hat-trick (13, 35 and 38), and Olivier Giroud (54 pen). Etoile du Sahel will begin defending their title by playing Olympique de Beja at a National League 1 Group A day-1 game on August 23. They will earlier travel to Constantine (Algeria) to take on Algerian side CS Constantine in the first round of the Champions League on August 18. AC Milan, meanwhile, will kick off their Serie A campaign with a trip to Bologna on August 21.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse