AC Milan made a winning start to the new Serie A campaign with a 4-2 victory over Udinese at San Siro on Saturday, in what was a highly entertaining opening game of the season.
The Rossoneri fell behind after just two minutes as Rodrigo Becao headed home to break the deadlock, but two quick-fire goals from Theo Hernandez (penalty) and Ante Rebic turned things around and got us back on track.
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However, there was another slip-up defensively just before the break as Udinese equalised, but Brahim Diaz and another from Rebic ensured we secured all three points.
Conceding twice at home in itself will demand improvement in that phase of the game, but the manner in which we conceded those goals means we must tighten things up in that department moving forward.
Nevertheless, Milan got the job done and it’s a performance and result that we can build on moving forward as we look to improve and show more sharpness at either end of the pitch.
AC Milan player ratings vs Udinese:
Mike Maignan, 6.5 – Couldn’t have done much to deny either goal as his defence left him exposed, but he remained alert and produced a key contribution to the win.
Davide Calabria, 7 – Reached the 150 Serie A appearances landmark in this one while being named captain, and he didn’t disappoint as it was a strong display in general with an assist for Rebic to give us the lead too.
Pierre Kalulu, 7 – Picked up from where he left off last season, as his reading of the game combined with his pace and awareness allowed him to make some key interventions.
Fikayo Tomori, 6 – A solid display that shows his level of consistency. Not one of his best performances, but played a vital part in the backline to help us on our way to victory.
Theo Hernandez, 7 – Held his nerve brilliantly after a long wait to slot his penalty into the back of the net, and while most of our attacking play came down the right side as the game went on, he put in a good shift on the opposite flank.
Rade Krunic, 6.5 – A really smart performance as he worked hard out of possession and his positioning was excellent, while he has the technical ability to play an important role on the ball too. He’s not going to be the first-choice midfield option but he’s shown his reliability again.
Ismael Bennacer, 6.5 – Not quite on the money with his offensive play as he couldn’t get his pass right in some dangerous situations, but worked hard in midfield to disrupt and break up Udinese’s play as often as possible to give us some presence and control.
Messias Junior, 6 – A mixed bag as his error led to the second Udinese goal while he was involved in our fourth and showed glimpses of his quality across the game. However, was it really enough to keep the likes of Yacine Adli and more notably Charles De Ketelaere out of the side for much longer? It doesn’t seem likely.
Brahim Diaz, 7.5 – A welcome return to form for the Spaniard who has been anonymous in the final third for too long. Involved in three of our four goals as he was not only dangerous with his movement off the ball but he showed his creativity and vision to help break through the Udinese defence.
Rafael Leao, 5.5 – Not quite at it in this one as he struggled to really make his mark on the game. Couldn’t provide a consistent threat down that left flank, but he played his part for the team in getting a positive result and that is ultimately the main thing as we need to be less reliant on him as we were last season.
Ante Rebic, 7.5 – A brilliant shift from the Croatian international as he scored two goals and continued to drag Udinese’s defence around to deny them the chance of having a focal point to focus on. He has struggled in the past playing in the main striker role up top, but his work ethic out of possession was key too and he was excellent.
Substitutes
Charles De Ketelaere, 6 – In a relatively brief first look at our new marquee summer signing, the Belgian playmaker didn’t disappoint as he showed glimpses of his class as we await to see what he can do at full fitness and with a 90-minute performance under him.
Olivier Giroud, 6 – Provided a fresh threat up front after coming on, and although he was wasteful in a big opportunity, it was an overall positive impression.
Alexis Saelemaekers, 6 – Helped us see out the result with a pair of fresh legs to defend off the ball and posed a threat on the attack too.
Divock Origi, N/A
Tommaso Pobega, N/A