Man of the Match: T. Hernandez (8)
Hernandez was in top form today. He was very fast and provided a lot of verticality to Milan’s game. His combinations with Leao caused Verona a lot of problems down the left wing. This was evident in the build-up to the French player’s goal, which started with a pass from Leao. This action showed the determination with which Hernandez played today. He was very incisive, but above all very good in his ball-carrying, with his fast and audacious dribbling to attack the open spaces.
Hellas Verona (4-2-3-1):
L. Montipo (5.5): The Italian goalkeeper did not do badly today, making a magnificent save from Okafor’s volley (19′). His footwork was not good enough for Verona, as shown by his loss of the ball deep in his own half in the 23rd minute, which did not have any major consequences for his team. He made three saves in total, while also making some interesting sorties to reassure his team.
J. Cabal (5): Struggling against Pulisic, the Colombian lost this duel on his side. He had a lot to do against the American, and did not impress, even if he did not do everything wrong. But he then completely abandoned the attacking front, leaving the left side deserted in the attacking phase for Verona. Replaced by R. Vinagre (76′).
P. Dawidowicz (4): A very poor performance from the central defender, who did not impress with his serenity in this match. His passing was not good enough, and he was the main culprit for Pulisic’s goal, with a very dangerous loss of the ball, which allowed Okafor to go through on goal. He came off injured to his leg for G. Magnani (57′).
D. Coppola (6): While all his teammates in the defensive sector were quite catastrophic, the left central defender had a good game. He was present in the air and often well-positioned, and he was able to reassure his team on several occasions, when they were under pressure. His defending in the box was really convincing, and at the age of 20, he showed a lot of maturity.
F. Centonze (4): The former Nantes player clearly struggled against Milan’s lively left side. He was often dribbled past or caught out of pace, and he was not the safest option this afternoon. However, he generally focused on defending, neglecting the attacking front, especially in the second half.
S. Serdar (5): Very early in the game, the German made a mistake with a big foul on Hernandez, which earned him a yellow card. He was then unable to put as much physical impact into the rest of the game. However, he managed to distribute some interesting balls up front, but nothing transcendental. For fear of a second yellow card, his coach replaced him with D. Silva at half-time (45′).
O. Duda (6): One of the only Verona players who managed to keep a good level of play. The Slovakian showed natural class and good ball retention skills. He was also often the conductor in offensive transition, and allowed Verona to threaten in depth. He also weighed in on the game with his recovery work. The only downside was his missed challenge on Hernandez for the French player’s goal.
D. Lazovic (3): Simply invisible in attack, the Serbian touched 23 balls, and rarely in high positions. It must be said that Verona’s play did not lean to the left, but when you don’t touch interesting balls, and you don’t improve the game, it’s difficult to have a satisfactory game. He was logically taken off early in the second half for S. Mitrovic (57′).
M. Folorunsho (4): The Italian attacking midfielder did not make the right choices, and lacked offensive impact at key moments in the game. He participated defensively, but also showed some porosity, notably on his missed tackle that opened the way for Hernandez to score his goal. He was logically taken off by Baroni for K. Swiderski (57′).
T. Suslov (5.5): Interesting in attack, the young Slovakian, like his compatriot, showed a good quality of distribution, but via crosses. His runs in depth sometimes worried Hernandez, and allowed Hellas to project themselves forward from time to time.
T. Noslin (5.5): Far from being ridiculous today, the Dutchman showed a good activity on the attacking front. He touched the ball quite a bit, and was available to attack the open spaces. Enterprising, he shot 5.
AC Milan (4-2-3-1):
M. Maignan (5.5): Uncertain for this match, the Frenchman finally answered the call, and with solid saves that were almost too easy for him. Little worried, he was finally beaten by Noslin’s shot, on which he could do nothing.
T. Hernandez (8): See above.
F. Tomori (6): The most impressive defender today, the former Chelsea player was solid, did not flinch, and was generally convincing. He showed good management of the space behind him, and defended without throwing himself, with a correct physical commitment without being excessive. He came off late in the game for S. Kjaer (84′).
P. Kalulu (6): This match seemed to be the right one for a return to competition, as the Frenchman did not suffer at all. He contained Noslin well, without much difficulty, and was able to take advantage of a completely silent Hellas right side in the first half to build his confidence. As a precaution, no doubt, he was taken off at half-time by Pioli for M. Gabbia (45′).
D. Calabria (5.5): Few opportunities to shine defensively for the captain today, as he was so little worried by the Verona attack. He therefore projected himself offensively quite a bit, even if we have seen him more enterprising than that, which is to be regretted.
T. Reijnders (5.5): A satisfactory match, in which he mainly managed the game and its tempo. Both in recovering the ball and in keeping it, he was precious for Milan, and shows that he will not easily give up his starting place to Adli.
I. Bennacer (6): In a fairly mobile role, the Algerian navigated between the areas of the pitch to offer interesting axial play. He combined well with Pulisic to send him down his wing, or to give him balls on the edge of the box. Their understanding is to be watched in the next matches.
R. Leao (7): This match has the potential to reconcile the Portuguese even more with the fans. Better in recent matches, the Portuguese played simply today, without frills or fuss. But in the end, it is this game that seems to work best, when he combines and dribbles with the ball at his feet, he is almost unstoppable. All he needs to do now is to adjust his finishing, as he did not score any shots today, even though he had chances.
R. Loftus-Cheek (6): A solid performance from the Englishman, in line with his season. He was physically very strong and impressed with his ability to stand out on Sunday. Between the lines, he is a poison, and often allows Milan to create good chances. He is replaced by Y. Musah (66′).
C. Pulisic (6.5): The American had a superb game this afternoon, with an impressive ability to recover efforts. He dribbled, crossed, and, in general, unbalanced the Verona defense. To reward his game, but also the fact that he followed the action well, he scored on a shot pushed back by Montipo, and finished in the empty goal. Unfortunately for him, he ended on a bad note, guilty of losing the ball on a second ball, which allowed Noslin to reduce the score. He came off in the process for O. Giroud (66′).
N. Okafor (4): The Swiss player once again missed the opportunity to show that he is a good understudy for Giroud. This time lined up at the top, he made his lack of reading of the game, but also of physical resistance, noticeable. He is not a good option in the air either. Even in a game of passing, he lacked precision. He had chances (5) despite his low number of touches (18), but without finding the back of the net. The only good thing to his credit is his recovery on Dawidowicz for Pulisic’s goal. He is replaced by S. Chukwueze (74′).
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