Ismael Bennacer took a phenomenal strike in the second half to lead Milan over Cagliari. At first, the match seemed to be destined for a scoreless draw, but the midfielder’s outstanding play, coupled with big games from Junior Messias and the Milan backline, ultimately solidified the Rossoneri position at the top of the table.
Cagliari
Alessio Cragno – 6
Most of Milan’s missed chances were due to poor finishing rather than outstanding goaltending. Cragno did not need to make many difficult saves, and he distributed the ball well.
Matteo Lovato – 5
The well-regarded prospect continues to be maddeningly inconsistent. Playing as Cagliari’s most central defender, Lovato performed well against Olivier Giroud, but his passing and anticipation was subpar.
Giorgio Altare – 6
It was a mixed bag for Altare, who initially had problems facing Junior Messias on Milan’s right wing. The Brazilian found too much space, which very nearly cost Cagliari early in the match.
Edoardo Goldaniga – 6.5
Along with Raoul Bellanova, Goldaniga put in a decent shift on the right side. Theo Hernandez beat the defender a few times, but the Italian held his own against Rafael Leao.
Alberto Grassi – 7
From the defensive midfield position, Grassi took the responsibility of shutting down Brahim Diaz. He played well against the midfielder, restricting his space in front of the backline. Grassi was also fantastic in the air and won several battles.
Charalampos Lykogiannis – 4
The formidable duo of Bennacer and Davide Calabria completely nullified Lykogiannis on the right wing. The Greek international was not strong in possession and contributed next to nothing to the game.
Razvan Marin – 5
The usually dangerous distributor did not have his best day. Marin’s passes were too often short and unproductive, as he failed to frequently connect with the two Isolani forwards. Overall, the Romanian was not involved enough in his side’s offensive efforts.
Raoul Bellanova – 7
The wing-back was Cagliari’s best attacking player for much of the match, but his influence waned as the it progressed. He made one especially impressive tackle on Theo Hernandez in the box in the first half.
Dalbert – 5.5
Dalbert, who surprisingly played in the central midfield, did not have a good day at the office. He was hounded by Franck Kessie and Ismael Bennacer, who took advantage of the out of position attacker. However, the Brazilian did well when dropping deep and defending against the Milan attack.
Leonardo Pavoletti – 5
Pavoletti got on the ball most frequently when dropping into the midfield. When in possession, he struggled to connect with his fellow attackers, and the physicality of Milan’s backline was too much at times.
Joao Pedro – 5.5
Always a threat to score, the captain had two prime chances that he ultimately could not capitalize on. Pedro also did not drop into the midfield enough, which created a significant disconnect between the two lines.
Substitutes
Alessandro Deiola – 7
Deiola’s introduction let Dalbert to shift out wide and gave Cagliari’s midfield a decent attacking threat. Soon after coming on, his blocked shot almost allowed Pedro to level the score.
Gabriele Zappa – N/A
Keita – N/A
Gaston Pereiro – N/A
AC Milan are eight games away from winning their first Serie A title since 2011 ? pic.twitter.com/i1Bb1ZA7Wf
— GOAL (@goal) March 19, 2022
Milan
Mike Maignan – 6.5
Maignan had to make just one save in the match, as Cagliari’s forwards were unable to generate any meaningful offense.
Fikayo Tomori – 7.5
Faced with Pavoletti and Pedro, the young defender was once again in top form. Tomori brought his usual physical play to the backline and distributed the ball well from advanced positions.
Pierre Kalulu – 8
While Tomori played high, occasionally even in the defensive midfield, Kalulu played as the deep centre-back. The 21-year-old did not back down against Pedro and continues to prove that he deserves to start over Alessio Romagnoli.
Davide Calabria – 7
Calabria brought quality to both the offense and the defense. After a quiet start to the game, he began attacking exceptionally well down the wing. Like his counterpart, he has begun to develop the ability to drive the ball centrally, which gives Milan even more attacking versatility.
Theo Hernandez – 8
Despite his side’s poor finishing, Hernandez brought essential creativity to the Rossoneri offense. The wing-back was electric in the left channel, and he was Milan’s sole consistent attacking presence.
Ismael Bennacer – 9
Bennacer turned in a phenomenal performance from Sandro Tonali’s usual position. While he rarely ventures too far forward in the attack, his stunning finish from outside the box gave Milan a deserved lead. The Algerian also won several crucial challenges and helped facilitate play, turning in one of Milan’s best overall performances of the season.
Franck Kessie – 5
Kessie had a rare underwhelming match. The midfielder was not assertive defensively, and, at times, he hindered Milan’s attack.
Brahim Diaz – 6.5
In the first half, Diaz had problems finding space and struggled to complete dangerous passes. However, he became more threatening in the second half as Junior Messias and Rafael Leao were able to make better runs on the wings.
Junior Messias – 7
Messisas found plenty of space in the channel, and he made several successful runs on the Cagliari flank. He also frequently tracked back and made several defensive contributions for his side.
Rafael Leao – 6
Leao had a quieter game than normal, and he seemed to be unsure of himself when his space was cut off by the opposing defenders. Just when his form seemed to be improving, Stefano Pioli replaced him with Ante Rebic.
Olivier Giroud – 5
Continuing his struggles away from home, Giroud missed a point-blank chance early in the match. He also scuffed a few simple passes and was not as confident as usual with his back to goal.
Substitutes
Ante Rebic – 7
The Croatian looked dangerous replacing Leao on the right wing. He created a scoring chance on a fast break and almost scored Milan’s second goal from a corner kick.
Rade Krunic – 6.5
Krunic’s late introduction saw him distribute well and help Milan push for a second goal.