Cisse scored three times in Austria, with Gonçalo Ramos adding a fourth, as AC Milan bounced back from their opening defeat to Benfica and claimed their first points of the European campaign.
The 19-year-old Italy youth international opened the scoring in the 15th minute, heading in Omari Hutchinson’s cross. He doubled Milan’s advantage before the break with a left-footed finish after a move involving Adrien Rabiot and Davide Bartesaghi, then completed his hat-trick shortly after half-time with another header from Rabiot’s delivery.
Ramos made it 4-0 in the 72nd minute after Ardon Jashari recovered possession and set him up to score. Milan finished the game with 10 men after Filippo Terracciano was sent off in the 83rd minute, but the dismissal did not change the outcome.
Amorim was delighted with Cisse’s contribution, while making clear that the youngster still has work to do.
“For me, he deserves the opportunities he is getting because of what he is doing physically: he knows how to be explosive,” the Milan coach told Sky Sport. “He still has things to correct and needs to do better in training. But tonight, huge congratulations to him. The hat-trick is extraordinary. At the same time, he has to keep working.”
Cisse’s treble made him the youngest Italian player to score a hat-trick in a European club competition match, adding a landmark achievement to an already memorable evening.
Despite the scoreline, Amorim did not regard the performance as Milan’s best of the season. He said the team had displayed greater control in other matches but had failed to turn that into goals, while Salzburg’s missed opportunities meant the result could have been different.
“I think we have played better in other matches, as a team,” he said. “Tonight we played well, but in some situations, if they had been more precise, they would have scored against us. We lost a few balls in front of our own area and had some problems building from the back. There is work to do.”
The coach also defended his decision to rotate the side, pointing to the demands of a busy schedule and the need to keep more players ready to contribute. He acknowledged that selection decisions carry risks, particularly when results do not go to plan.
“I believe in them. I couldn’t field the same starting eleven with the next matches coming up,” Amorim said. “I try to do what is best for the team and to do things the right way. Tonight it worked out.”
He wants competition across the squad to remain strong, with players understanding that opportunities must be earned and places cannot be taken for granted. The Salzburg win, he suggested, should help build confidence while providing a foundation for further improvement.
Amorim also said young striker Francesco Camarda had a good understanding of the game but needed to develop his explosiveness, pace and rhythm.