AC Milan secured a pivotal 4-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night as we took a key step towards advancing in the Champions League.
The Rossoneri overcame a tricky first half where we took time to get going, but eventually our quality made the difference as we ran out comfortable winners to put ourselves in a strong position to qualify from the group.
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Goals from Matteo Gabbia, Rafael Leao, Olivier Giroud (penalty) and an own goal sealed the three points, and so now we head into our final group game against RB Salzburg next week needing just a point to advance.
Naturally, we’ll go into the game with the mindset of looking to win it, as holding out for a draw would surely be the wrong approach and a dangerous set up, and so it’s hoped that we take advantage after a stellar away performance this week.
AC Milan player ratings vs Dinamo Zagreb:
Ciprian Tatarusanu, 6.5 – Made some crucial saves throughout, particularly in the first half, to put us in a position to go on and win the game.
Pierre Kalulu, 6.5 – Solid defensive shift as he dealt with any threat down his side with minimal fuss and showed great composure throughout.
Matteo Gabbia, 7.5 – Made a decisive intervention early on to clear an effort that looked goal bound and then scored his first goal for the club with an excellent header from a free-kick. Top defensive performance too as he continues to show signs of maturity and improvement.
Simon Kjaer, 7 – Improving constantly in terms of fitness and sharpness as he led the backline well in this one by nullifying the home side’s threat whenever attacking his area.
Theo Hernandez, 6 – Switched on defensively throughout and looked to push forward when possible to give us a different dynamic and option out wide on the left flank.
Sandro Tonali, 7.5 – Superb display. Provided a brilliant delivery with his free-kick to find Gabbia for the opener and went on to win the penalty that made it 3-0. Highly influential in midfield in dictating the tempo of the game and giving us control as he was also physical in that battle.
Ismael Bennacer, 7 – Similar to Tonali, he was excellent in this game as he ran things for us in midfield with class and composure. Provided protection in front of the backline and the partnership with Tonali was hugely effective.
Ante Rebic, 6 – Started on the right side and will be disappointed that he couldn’t make the most of some big chances. The positive thing is that he got into good areas and caused a real threat, but he needs to be sharper and he’ll hopefully make an even bigger impact in the coming weeks as we could really do with his quality on the right wing as more of a long-term solution.
Charles De Ketelaere, 5 – Another disappointing outing for the under-performing Belgian playmaker, which will no doubt add to his frustration. Just needs to be patient and keep plugging away as his technical ability will show eventually, but this was another game where he just couldn’t get it right in the final third.
Rafael Leao, 7.5 – Kept quiet in the first half but decided to be more direct after the break and it paid off. Got a bit of luck in the build-up for his goal but showed great skill on his mazy run and was ruthless in front of goal. Showed more class in the lead up to the own goal that came from his cross.
Olivier Giroud, 6.5 – Emphatic penalty that helped seal the deal. Went close on a couple of occasions but was denied, but it was still a positive performance as he did well in leading the line and really testing the opposition defence and goalkeeper.
Substitutes:
Rade Krunic, 5.5 – Missed a big chance to stretch our lead further which was a real frustration, but he came on and did his job for the most part as we saw out the win.
Messias Jr, 6 – Fresh legs to press the opponents and maintain our control over the game.
Fode Ballo-Toure, 6 – Important to see him come on and keep things tight as it gives Theo an important opportunity to rest.
Tommaso Pobega, 6 – Tidy shift and he’ll no doubt benefit from the experience of getting more minutes under his belt in the Champions League.
Divock Origi, N/A