Davide Calabria and Sandro Tonali both made crucial errors as Milan lost 0-2 to Inter in the Champions League Semifinals. Both mistakes led to early goals, but Milan’s backline was so bad that the scoreline could have been much worse. Overall, the match was an unmitigated disaster for the Rossoneri.
Mike Maignan – 7
Despite conceding two early goals, Maignan’s play helped keep Inter from taking an insurmountable lead in the fixture.
Simon Kjaer – 5
Perhaps playing the 34-year-old for 45 minutes on Saturday was not the best idea. Kjaer was far from his best, as he and Tomori struggled to cope with Lautaro and Edin Dzeko’s rapid movement.
Fikayo Tomori – 5.5
Tomori played better than Kjaer, but he also did not perform well against the two opposing forwards.
Davide Calabria – 4.5
On Inter’s opening goal, Edin Dzeko simply out-muscled Calabria on a corner. The defender had to do better, and he ultimately allowed the Bosnian an uncontested volley from close range, gifting the Nerazzurri an easy goal.
Theo Hernandez – 6
The wing-back helped break up Inter’s frequent counter attacks, but his offensive contributions were lackluster.
Rade Krunic – 4
Alongside Tonali in the double pivot, Krunic’s usually strong defensive presence was nonexistent. The visitors’ midfield trio exploited Milan both between the lines and in the central midfield, and Krunic was a significant reason why.
Sandro Tonali – 5
Tonali made one of Milan’s two huge errors of the match, as he completely lost track of Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the first half, allowing Inter another open shooting chance from inside the box.
Ismael Bennacer – N/A
For the second straight match, Milan lost a key player in the opening minutes. Before even a third of the game had gone by, the midfielder took a knock and had to be removed.
Alexis Saelemaekers – 7.5
In place of the injured Rafael Leao on the left wing, Saelemaekers helped stabilize Milan after the two early goals. The Belgian was dynamic and creative, giving Denzel Dumfries an incredibly hard time in the channel.
Brahim Diaz – 4
When he was able to retain possession, Brahim looked decent, but he got the ball too rarely. He also went to ground far too easily, which has been an issue for the midfielder all season.
Olivier Giroud – 5
In recent matches, Giroud’s form has been slipping, and it continued to fall away against Inter. The Frenchman was unconvincing when in possession, and he struggled to do much against the physicality of Alessandro Bastoni and Francesco Acerbi.
Milan's first half ? pic.twitter.com/owjiCLuFdZ
— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) May 10, 2023
Substitutes
Junior Messias – 7.5
In relief of Bennacer, Messias’ introduction shifted Brahim into the attacking midfield. The Brazilian lifted Milan’s offense, as he exploited the space behind Federico Dimarco and created several chances for the hosts.
Divock Origi – 5
Origi did next to nothing during his time on the pitch.
Malick Thiaw – 7
After replacing the struggling Kjaer, Thiaw helped solidify Milan’s ailing backline.