The Rossoneri struggled at the Estadio do Dragao on Tuesday night as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to FC Porto in matchday three of the UEFA Champions League.
Milan had lost their opening two games in their return to Champions League football this season, against Liverpool and Atletico Madrid respectively, and they have now made that three defeats out of three.
It was a miserable night for Milan as they could only muster one shot on target throughout the 90 minutes. Stefano Pioli’s side were without a number of key players, however, in Brahim Diaz, Frank Kessie and Theo Hernandez to name just a select few.
Porto controlled the match from the start and had plenty of opportunities to score more but they also failed to hit the target often, only having two shots on goal.
However, Porto top goalscorer, Luis Diaz, found the back of the net in the 65th minute in what was the only goal of the match to give Sergio Conceicao’s side their first victory in this season’s Champions League campaign.
You dropped this ?#FCPorto #FCPACM #UCL pic.twitter.com/MUPqLXEDYP
— FC Porto (@FCPorto) October 19, 2021
Porto
Diogo Costa – 6
Only had to make one save from a fairly weak header by Olivier Giroud. A quiet night.
Joao Mario – 8
Looked to attack and push forward down the right, threatening on the overlap. Was a continuous threat down the right flank and played an important part in the build-up to the goal.
Pepe – 7
The three-time Champions League winner looked solid at the back in what was a quiet night for the Portuguese veteran. Did well when called upon.
Chancel Mbemba – 7
Another solid performance at the back for Porto and Mbemba nullified any threat when called upon, winning some good tackles and blocks.
Wendell – 7
Put in a solid performance before being subbed off at half time, defending well at left-back. The Brazilian won eight duels as well as three tackles.
Sergio Oliveira – 7.5
Battled superbly in the midfield, winning three tackles before being subbed off. Also offered a creative threat, creating four chances before he was subbed off for Vitinha.
Mateus Uribe – 7
Booked for fouling Saelemaekers with a cynical challenge in the first half but completed the most passes in the match with 43 as he kept Porto ticking.
Otavio – 7.5
Looked creative down the right early on and blazed a shot over the bar from long range. Created the most opportunities in the match with five in what was a good performance.
Luis Diaz – 8.5
Struck the post from outside the area early on and looked dangerous from the start. Broke the deadlock just after the hour mark to score his seventh goal of the season. Finished his goal well, curling his effort past the ‘keeper. Also created two chances.
Evanilson – 5
Was rarely involved throughout his time on the pitch, having the least touches out of any other player who started the match.
Mehdi Taremi – 7.5
Was involved throughout the night and had a plethora of opportunities to score but was wide of the mark at each attempt. Should have done better with a header when he was left unmarked following a free kick in the first half. Continued to miss opportunities but did provide the assist for the Diaz goal.
Substitutions
Zaidu Sanusi – 6.5
Did fairly well defensively when he came on at half-time in what was a solid half.
Jesus Corona – 5.5
Was not involved too much when he came on.
Vitinha – 6.5
Looked sharp when he came and kept the ball well.
Antonio Martinez – N/A
Marko Grujic – N/A
A bad night in Porto comes to an end ✖️
Termina una serata no in Portogallo ✖️#PortoMilan #UCL #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/zOqKvgODbv— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 19, 2021
Milan
Ciprian Tatarusanu – 6
Looking good with his distribution early on but actually had very little to do as the hosts struggled to get their shots on target.
Davide Calabria – 6.5
Looked solid at the back early on and was forced to sit fairly deep to try and nullify the threat from Diaz.
Simon Kjaer – 7
A busy night for the Denmark skipper and made a good block to deny an effort by Taremi in the first half. Won some important headers and tackles in what was a solid performance at the back.
Fikayo Tomori – 5.5
Booked early on for a clumsy challenge on Evanilson and struggled to contain Teremi who threatened the Milan defence throughout. Not a great night for the former Chelsea man.
Fode Ballo Toure – 7
A good performance by the Senegalese full-back who won a lot of duels, also making three interceptions in the first half. Defended fairly well before being subbed off just before the hour mark but Mario was a threat throughout the match down his side.
Sandro Tonali – 6.5
A fairly solid performance for the young Italian midfielder. Looked strong in the midfield, battling well with good ball control. Could have performed better in terms of ball retention, however, with just a 69% pass success rate.
Ismael Bennacer – 5.5
Struggled a little in the midfield and was sloppy with his passes. Failed in the midfield battle up against Uribe and Oliveira.
Rade Krunic – 4.5
Was not involved much at all throughout the night and got caught in possession a few times. Failed to create any chances in what was a poor performance.
Alexis Saelemaekers – 6
Showed his quality in glimpses and did ok on the counter. Also put a good ball in for Giroud but Milan struggled offensively all night.
Olivier Giroud – 5
It was not Giroud’s finest game and he failed to make the most out of his chances before he was subbed off just before the hour mark for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Missed Milan’s best chance in the first half and should have done better with his header.
Rafael Leao – 5.5
Showed flashes of his skill and trickery but struggled to get into the game much. Struggled against Mario, losing the most duels in the match with 16. Lacked creativity a part from one good ball into the box for Giroud.
Substitutions
Pierre Kalulu – 6
Did ok at left-back when he came on.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 5
Did nothing when he came on and could have even seen red for a high foot on Mbemba.
Alessio Romagnoli – 6.5
Defense looked more solid when he replaced Tomori. Made a couple of interceptions and won some headers too.
Tiemoue Bakayoko – 6.5
Subbed on to try and help in the midfield battle and won three tackles when he came on.