Milan boss Stefano Pioli insists his side’s performance in an evenly-contested 1-1 draw at Atalanta was satisfying despite a handful of chances. The defending Serie A champions fought back to haul back a 1-0 deficit and walk away from the Gewiss Stadium undefeated, but their showing flattered to deceive.
After a come-from-behind 4-2 home triumph over Udinese on the opening weekend, Milan headed to Bergamo looking to win four consecutive Serie A matches against Atalanta for the first time in the 21st century. However, the Rossoneri were denied that piece of history as Gian Piero Gasperini’s side kept them relatively quiet for most of the evening.
Atalanta took the lead through talismanic playmaker Ruslan Malinovskyi on the stroke of the half-hour mark. The Ukrainian steered home a devastating effort from the edge of the box to put La Dea in front, with Milan failing to recover until the halftime whistle. Yet, they bounced back after the interview.
Midway through the second half, Ismael Bennacer hammered home a delightful finish from inside the box to draw Milan level. Despite restoring parity and having momentum on their side, the 19-time Serie A champions failed to navigate a single clear-cut opportunity for the rest of the game. In the end, they had to settle for a point.
Despite seeing his side’s three-match winning league streak against Atalanta coming to a close, Milan manager Pioli still offered some positives in the post-match talk.
“I am satisfied in the sense that we allowed Atalanta very few chances and played with a spirit of sacrifice, but we should’ve been less frenetic after the break,” he said, as relayed by Calciomercato.
“Atalanta changed their attitude and sat deeper, so we needed to play with more patience to break them down.“
Milan now must shrug off the stress and focus on the upcoming home clash against Bologna. Nothing other than a victory would suffice for the Rossoneri after Inter won both opening league fixtures.
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