Milan succumbed to a nightmarish 3-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in Tuesday’s crunch Champions League encounter at the San Siro. Though there’s still a mathematical chance for Rossoneri to qualify for the knockout stages, they’ll need a miracle to make it out of Group F.
Olivier Giroud had a golden opportunity to put Milan in front only six minutes into the game. However, Gregor Kobel had an accurate guess as he thwarted the Franchman’s penalty with a spectacular save. Dortmund punished Giroud’s miss only four minutes later, with Marco Reus hitting the net from the spot.
Samuel Chukwueze opened his Milan account in the 37th minute with his trademark goal to restore parity at halftime. Despite enjoying a far better start to the second half than their visitors, Stefano Pioli’s side fell behind again as Jamie Bynoe-Gittens struck home from the edge of the box. In a ten-minute blitz, Dortmund killed the game off through Karim Adeyemi.
Another disappointing European night leaves Milan at the bottom of the so-called ‘group of death,’ level on points with third-placed Newcastle United, who drew 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain. Rossoneri will have to beat the Magpies on the final matchday and hope Dortmund can win at home against PSG to secure knockout progression.
Milan (4-3-3)
Mike Maignan – 5.5
While there’s an argument he could’ve done better to stop the second goal, he had to do better to prevent Adeyemi from clutching the game away from Milan’s grasp.
Davide Calabria – 6.5
The captain combined well with Chukwueze on the right-hand side. He was massively involved in the Italians’ build-up and was unlucky to hit the post with a free header late in the match.
Malick Thiaw – 7
Another decent performance from the young gun! His withdrawal early in the second half tilted the scales in Dortmund’s favor. Hopefully, he’ll return to the fold soon.
Fikayo Tomori – 6
Despite faring extremely well against Niclas Fullkrug, it wasn’t his most convincing showing by any stretch of the imagination. Reus proved elusive for the English center-back on numerous occasions.
Yacine Adli – 6.5
Back to the starting line-up after a while, the deep-lying playmaker worked his socks off in the middle of the park. But his decision-making and a lack of final ball cast a shadow on an energetic performance.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 7
There’s no doubt that Milan are a different team with the ex-Chelsea midfielder in the starting XI. He pulled all the strings in the attacking third, although he blew a decent chance to find Giroud inside the box at 1-1.
Tijjani Reijnders – 6
It wasn’t his night. The Dutchman may need some rest after a hectic schedule on club and international levels, with fatigue seemingly catching up with him.
Samuel Chukwueze – 7.5
The Nigerian’s undoubtedly best performance since joining Milan in the summer! In addition to the goal, he was impressive on the right wing, twisting and turning all night. It’s a pity he couldn’t have found a second.
Christian Pulisic – 6
Playing on the left doesn’t suit him. He struggled to impact the game before switching to the right later on. Went for a sensational overhead kick in the second half but was unlucky to see the ball deflect for a corner.
Olivier Giroud – 4.5
The veteran couldn’t have picked a worse moment to squander his first spot-kick in the Milan shirt. His early miss changed the dynamics and could potentially cost Pioli’s side a place in the last-16.
Substitutes
Rade Krunic – 5
Deployed out of position due to a growing injury crisis, the Bosnian faltered since taking Thiaw’s place.
Luka Jovic – 4
Invisible as ever!
Chaka Traore – 5.5
Tried to impress on his Champions League debut, but such a demanding challenge came too soon for the 18-year-old.
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