In the final match of the Champions League Group Stage, Olivier Giroud starred for Milan in its 4-0 win over Salzburg. While leading his side to second-place in Group E, the striker recorded two goals and an assist in the transcendent performance. For most of the match, the Rossoneri dominated their Austrian foes, and several attacking players turned in high quality performances.
Ciprian Tatarusanu – 7
Late in the first half, Salzburg turned up the heat on the backup goalkeeper, but he played well and kept the visitors off the scoreboard.
Simon Kjaer – 6
In his return to the starting lineup, Kjaer had a shaky start to the match. Early on, he made a poor turnover that should have resulted in a goal for Salzburg, but the Austrians were unable to convert the chance. However, his play did improve as the match went on.
Fikayo Tomori – 8
Milan’s star centre-back was in top form, helping shut down Salzburg’s dangerous forwards. From the backline, Tomori won his fair share of tackles and played a clean match overall.
Pierre Kalulu – 8.5
In the first 15 minutes of the match, Kalulu won three hugely crucial tackles in the box, all on Salzburg breakaway chances. Even though he could have been called for a penalty on one of the challenges, his contribution cannot be overstated. The 22-year-old was much improved from the last few matches he has played at right-back.
Theo Hernandez – 7
Theo had an entertaining performance and created a number of plays from the left wing. As usual, he played well with Leao and was dangerous when driving the ball into the attacking third.
Sandro Tonali – 7
Tonali’s distribution was not at its best, but he played a solid match and registered an assist on a corner kick to open scoring.
Ismael Bennacer – 8
Against Salzburg’s hyperactive press, Bennacer was calm and collected, winning four tackles and firing off three shots. At one point, the Algerian turned the ball over in the defensive third, but he made a great play by blocking the subsequent cross.
Rade Krunic – 6.5
Krunic picked up an easy goal, but he only managed 37 touches throughout the match and struggled to influence the attack.
Ante Rebic – 7.5
Though he struggled with distribution, Rebic played well on the right wing and created a number of chances for Milan.
Rafael Leao – 7.5
While he again missed a point-blank shot from close-range, Leao had a strong performance overall. He created Milan’s third goal with his incredible technical skills, dribbling around the entire box before picking out Giroud in the centre.
Olivier Giroud – 9
Giroud was simply dominant for the Rossoneri. He picked up two goals, an assist, and he dominated in the air against Salzburg’s centre-backs. The striker has now scored four goals in six Champions League matches and is making a strong case to be included in the French national squad for the World Cup.
Substitutes
Junior Messias – 7
Late in the match, Messias scored a quality solo goal to cap Milan’s strong performance.