In the second leg of the Champions League Quarterfinals, Rafael Leao put on a show and singlehandedly dragged Milan to a 1-1 draw with Napoli. Despite playing the league leaders three times in 16 days, Milan did not lose once, returning to their title-winning form of last season.
Mike Maignan – 9
The goalkeeper tried his best to light a fire under the ailing Milan attack by frequently playing long balls over the top to create counters. In the second half, he made perhaps the most important save of the season, keeping out Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s penalty attempt.
Simon Kjaer – 8
Finally, the Dane seems to be returning to his pre-injury form. Kjaer was electric in the air, winning headers and blocking shots, and he showed off impressive one-on-one defending.
Fikayo Tomori – 8
Like Kjaer, Tomori was one of his side’s better performers. Against Victor Osimhen, he played smart defense and allowed the striker little space to take shots.
Theo Hernandez – 4.5
Even though the centre-backs were the foundation of the result, the full-backs were not at their best. Theo struggled greatly against Matteo Politano on the wing, but the Italian went down with an injury early on, and Hirving Lozano could not replicate his creativity.
Davide Calabria – 5
While Calabria made several solid tackles on Kvaratskhelia in the box, he spent much of the match losing out to the Georgian. Kvaratskhelia’s skillful cuts were just too much for the defender, and more than once he had to be bailed out by the centre-backs.
Sandro Tonali – 5.5
Tonali was not on the ball often enough, and, when he was, his distribution was much worse than usual.
Rade Krunic – 5
Milan struggled to retain possession in the midfield, and Krunic was a significant reason why. While he contributed well to the defense, he failed to do anything with the ball.
Ismael Bennacer – 6
Again, Bennacer made a few decent passes, but he still looks rather uncomfortable in the attacking midfield. Every time he plays in the position, the Rossoneri attack fails to click.
Rafael Leao – 10
What a brilliant performance from the star winger. Throughout the match, Leao made a critical slide tackle from behind to prevent a goal, won a penalty with his quick footwork and made a dazzling solo run to set up Giroud for a tap-in.
Brahim Diaz – 6
In the first half, Brahim looked on the verge of breaking out, but it never came. The quiet performance saw the Spaniard leave the pitch as Milan’s first player taken off.
Olivier Giroud – 5
Despite a terrible start to the match, the striker kept his cool. After taking a poor penalty and missing a point-blank shot, Giroud stayed focused and found a pocket of space to double Milan’s aggregate lead.
Rafael Leão dancing. Top player, what an assist for Olivier Giroud’s goal. ✨?? #UCL pic.twitter.com/QHt6SPzOSd
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 18, 2023
Substitutes
Junior Messias – 6
After replacing Brahim Diaz on the right wing, Messias put in a solid shift. His physical presence and high work rate helped his side see out the result.