The Rossoneri rescued a point on Wednesday evening at the San Siro as they played host to FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League.
Luiz Diaz came back to haunt Milan, scoring the opening goal after just five minutes here, as he did in the reverse fixture a couple of weeks ago in the 1-0 Porto victory.
Porto were the much better side in the first half and Milan struggled to get going or create any chances as the visitors went in at the break 1-0 up.
However, Stefano Pioli’s side looked better after the break but still continued to struggle to create chances. Fortunately for the Milan faithful, they managed to score a rather lucky equalizer just before the hour mark thanks to an own goal by Chancel Mbemba.
The two sides had to settle for a draw here as Porto failed to make the most out of their chances earlier in the game.
So, let’s get into the player ratings from the match here as Milan’s chances of qualifying into the knockout rounds starts to dwindle.
Milan
Ciprian Tatarusanu – 7.5
Forced into a good save early on in the first half to deny a Grujic header and continued to make a couple of decent saves in the first half in what was a busy night overall.
Davide Calabria – 5
Struggled defensively up against Luis Diaz and did not offer much going forward before being subbed off at half time for Pierre Kalulu.
Fikayo Tomori – 6.5
Struggled a little at the back in the first half but did not have much support from the midfield. Looked stronger in the second half and also completed the most passes in the match.
Alessio Romagnoli – 7
Fairly solid at the back and it was largely the fault of the midfield for the Porto pressure in the first half. Made a couple of challenges and was good in the air.
Theo Hernandez – 6.5
Looked to cause a threat with his pace, running at the Porto defense. Looked a little sloppy in the first half but led a counter attack just before half time. Created a couple of chances but also looked a little shaky throughout.
Sandro Tonali – 6
Was a bit careless in possession and was also dispossessed a couple of times in dangerous areas but still put in a good shift in what was a fairly average performance.
Ismael Bennacer – 6.5
Was caught in possession in his own half by Marko Grujic in the build-up to the opening goal. Caught in midfield a couple of times and could have tracked back better. Did put in a few decent challenges, however, and significantly improved in the second half, especially in the midfield battle.
Alexis Saelemaekers – 6
Tried to give Milan some width down the right and blazed his effort over the bar just before half time. Looked to get on the ball and be a bit more creative in the second half but was dispossessed three times in what was a frustrating evening for the Belgian.
Brahim Diaz – 5
Was not involved much here and struggled to create in his return to action.
Rafael Leao – 6
Leao was not involved too much and struggled to get into the game, especially in the first half. Played a decent ball into the box but it was beyond the reach of Giroud, before Saelemaekers struck over the bar in the first half.
Olivier Giroud – 6.5
Had a good effort from range that was saved by Costa in what was Milan’s first real chance of the game. Was not involved too much but did not have the best of service. Also forced a save by Costa which led to Milan’s equalizer.
Substitutions
Pierre Kalulu – 6
Looked bright when he came on at half time and put the ball across goal in the build-up to Milan’s equalizer. Struggled a little against Diaz and was sloppy in possession.
Franck Kessie – N/A
Rade Krunic – N/A
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 6
Caused some danger when he came on and thought he put Milan in front late on but his goal was disallowed for offside.
Daniel Maldini – N/A
AC Milan level it up against Porto! ?⚫️
Do you think they have any chance of qualifying? #UCL pic.twitter.com/cvIDmFkMrG
— LiveScore (@livescore) November 3, 2021
FC Porto
Diogo Costa – 6.5
Forced into making a good diving save from a long range effort by Giroud, pushing it behind for a corner in the first half. Also made a good save to deny another effort from Giroud in the second half.
Joao Mario – 6.5
The Portuguese under-21 international did well up against Rafael Leao and put in a fairly solid defensive performance.
Pepe 7.5
Looked assured as ever at the back and was not challenged too much. Won a fantastic header from a set piece to set up Evanilson in the box and was also accurate with his distribution from the back.
Chancel Mbemba – 5
Failed to adjust his feet and turned the ball into his own net to give Milan the equaliser. Also booked for a poor challenge on Rafael Leao in the second half. Not the best of performances here.
Zaidu Sanusi – 7
Solid defensively and put in a good performance overall.
Otavio – 6.5
Looked tidy in the midfield, won a few challenges and kept it ticking for the visitors. Could have been more accurate with his passes, however.
Marko Grujic – 8
Won the ball back superbly in the build-up to the opening goal before playing in Diaz. Got on the end of an Oliveira header at the back post but his header was saved well by Tatarusanu. Was left in space too often and looked influential in the first half and also won the ball back well in midfield a couple of times.
Sergio Oliveira – 6.5
Delivered a few good set-pieces in the first half, including a free-kick from the right into Grujic at the back post, which forced a save from Tatarusanu. Was a bit sloppy in possession, however.
Luis Diaz – 8
Put Porto ahead after just five minutes with a composed finish from close range and continued to be a threat down the left flank, getting in behind the Milan defense. It was a tenacious performance, also winning the ball back well. Diaz continued to cause danger into the second half and was probably the best player of the game.
Evanilson – 7
Had a couple of half chances and looked fairly lively in the first half. Also had a good chance very early on but his effort hit the side netting. Headed onto the bar in the second half after a great header by Pepe. Looked energetic before he was subbed off with around 10 minutes remaining.
Mehdi Taremi – 5
Struggled a little here and was not at his best, losing the most duels in the match with 14.
Substitutions
Vitinha – 5.5
Kept possession well when he came on but lost a few duels and picked up a yellow card.