Paulo Fonseca’s touchline debut at San Siro had all the makings of a nightmare, but Milan fought back to hold Torino to a 2-2 draw. Last season’s Serie A runners-up were 2-0 down going into second-half stoppages and still avoided defeat.
Milan looked toothless from the get-go. Meanwhile, Torino came to San Siro to frustrate the Rossoneri with a deep block and wait for their opportunities on the counter. One such arrived midway through the first half as Duvan Zapata picked Raoul Bellanova on the far post.
Though the Italian’s header rattled off the woodwork, Malick Thiaw’s inexplicable reaction on the line gifted Torino a halftime lead. Rafael Leao fumbled two glorious first-half chances, but it’s fair to say Milan performed below all expectations.
Things went from bad to worse after the break. Duvan Zapata doubled Torino’s lead with a free header after taking advantage of Thiaw’s disastrous positioning to meet Valentino Lazaro’s cross. Milan didn’t have a response to the visitors’ superb showing.
However, newcomer Alvaro Morata offered Milan a glimmer of hope on the stroke of second-half stoppages, turning home Tijjani Reijnders’ shot from outside the box. In the third minute of second-half stoppages, Noah Okafor struck home a perfect volley to rescue a point for Fonseca’s side.
Milan (4-2-3-1)
Mike Maignan – 6.5
He was instrumental in the first half with two vital saves to deny Zapata’s thumping close-range header and Ivan Ilic’s effort from the edge of the box.
Davide Calabria – 5.5
Despite doing well at the back, the Milan captain struggled in attack. It’s unsurprising the Rossoneri spent most of the summer vying for Emerson Royal.
Malick Thiaw – 2
Bellanova’s header bounced off the post and away from goal, yet the German’s epic blunder put Torino in front. Such a reckless play from the youngster! Zapata slipped his mark for the second.
Fikayo Tomori – 6.5
Unlike his defensive colleague, the ex-Chelsea center-back delivered a fantastic performance, especially in a head-to-head battle against Zapata.
Alexis Saelemaekers – 3.5
Fonseca must have regretted his decision to play the Belgian out of position as Bellanova destroyed the ex-Anderlecht winger on the flank.
Ismael Bennacer – 7
The Algerian was the beating heart of the Milan midfield. Calm and collected, he dictated the tempo with clever passing and continuous movement.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 6.5
It may take some time before he gets used to a new position. The Englishman failed to impact proceedings from deep in the midfield, even though he was one of Milan’s best players last term.
Samuel Chukwueze – 5.5
In addition to several loose touches in the opening half an hour, the Nigerian couldn’t pick out his teammates in the box, attempting numerous ill-measured crosses.
Christian Pulisic – 6
His decision-making must improve if he’s to become Fonseca’s ‘trequartista.’ Pace and energy were there, yet he lacked quality in the crucial moments.
Rafael Leao – 6
The Milan superstar could’ve and should’ve done better twice in the first half. After missing the target for barely a couple of yards out, he wasted a glorious chance on the stroke of halftime.
Luka Jovic – 5
Apart from a hopeful header late in the first half, the Serbian striker was a near-anonymous figure at San Siro tonight.
Substitutes
Tijjani Reijnders – 7
Alvaro Morata – 7.5
Theo Hernandez – 7
Yunus Musah – 7
Noah Okafor – 7.5
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How the hell did u give pulisic 6 ? What energy !!!!!! He didn’t do anything but moss chance after chance with poor performance during the whole match !!!! Aren’t u supposed to know about football before u write about football