AC Milan secured a goalless draw against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night, but it could, and should, have been much more for the Rossoneri.
For the second consecutive Champions League game, a wasteful performance in the final third cost us a win, and so while we should arguably now have six points on the board in the group, we’re left with just two.
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On the face of it, a draw away at Dortmund seems like a positive result, but ultimately it will be considered another missed opportunity, having created so many chances but failed to take them once again.
Milan now face back-to-back encounters with Paris Saint-Germain who have problems of their own after a heavy defeat at Newcastle Utd, but we’ll have to be ruthless in both games if we are to come away with maximum points and learn from our mistakes in the first two outings.
AC Milan player ratings vs Dortmund:
Mike Maignan, 6 – Stepped up when needed as he was alert to danger throughout the game, while he played an important role in our build up play out from the back.
Davide Calabria, 6 – Shaky start as Malen caused him problems on that side, but improved as the game went on to put in a positive defensive shift before coming off in the second half.
Malick Thiaw, 7 – Mature and solid performance as he was alert to the threat posed by Dortmund’s attacking players, and showed good positional awareness to ensure we kept things tight at the back.
Fikayo Tomori, 7 – Similar to Thiaw in that they were solid as a pairing in the heart of the defence. Focused throughout to shut things down as Dortmund attacked, showed good intent going forward with the ball too.
Theo Hernandez, 6 – Sloppy in the first half, but improved after the break. One of many Milan players who will be disappointed with his end product though, as he even had a great chance of his own but headed over.
Yunus Musah, 6.5 – Good energy and tenacity in midfield to give us presence and a foothold in the game. His ability to go box-to-box is crucial as his influence is certainly needed in both phases of the game.
Tijjani Reijnders, 6 – Hampered by his yellow card, but showed good intent and directness on the ball at times to break forward from his deeper role. Had a chance to score which he couldn’t convert, more comfortable in a more advanced role though it seems.
Tommaso Pobega, 5.5 – Does well breaking forward from midfield at times to give us an offensive threat in the final third, but his overall influence and impact isn’t consistent or accurate enough, and so it was another disappointing outing.
Christian Pulisic, 5 – Poor in attacking areas as he failed to make the difference on his return to his former club. Had one chance in particular which he hit straight at the Dortmund goalkeeper. Need more from him in these big games.
Olivier Giroud, 5 – A struggle for the Frenchman as he was another who wasted a great opportunity to break the deadlock. Wasn’t able to link our play together as the pace and tempo of the clash limited his influence and led to a sloppy contribution.
Rafael Leao, 6 – Slow start to the game as he didn’t make much of an impression, but his influence gradually increased as he showed his class with some brilliant individual play to create openings for us. Needed more quality around him to match that and provide an end product.
Substitutes
Yacine Adli, 6 – Added a better balance to the midfield with his composure in the deeper role, simultaneously freeing Reijnders to move back into his favoured position.
Alessandro Florenzi, 6 – Slotted in for Calabria well as he defended resolutely and helped us keep things tight at the back in the latter stages.
Samuel Chukwueze, 5.5 – Another one guilty of not being clinical enough despite having chances to make the difference off the bench.
Noah Okafor, 6 – Added an injection of energy and speed up top in the latter stages, but couldn’t produce a decisive impact.