In the first game of the 2022/2023 season, Milan beat Udinese in an entertaining, back-and-forth match. The Zebrette turned in a strong first half, but quality performances from Ante Rebic and the Milan backline were enough to turn the tide in the hosts’ favor, as the visitors lacked any standout individual showings.
Milan
Mike Maignan – 6.5
Maignan was not frequently challenged by Udinese, but his distribution was on point. Noticeably, he tried to play quickly from the back, starting attacks through Davide Calabria and Theo Hernandez.
Davide Calabria – 8.5
The left-back was in elite form, with his play in the first half being crucial to Milan’s success. After his side conceded, he quickly won a penalty, and soon after found Ante Rebic for a second goal.
Pierre Kalulu – 8
Kalulu was instrumental in cutting out Udinese’s various chances in the first half. In the second, he made what may have been the play of the game, stopping a two-on-one breakaway with a last-ditch challenge on Gerard Deulofeu. The young central defender begins the year with a very promising performance.
Fikayo Tomori – 7.5
Tomori did not make as many flashy plays as his partner, but he was his typically solid self. He dominated in the air and was confident when in possession of the ball, and he also effectively neutralized Deulofeu.
Theo Hernandez – 7
While he saw quite a lot of the ball, Hernandez struggled to make the incisive runs that Milan fans have come to expect from the wing-back. Despite his somewhat reduced influence on the wing, he converted a penalty kick in the first half and was strong on defense.
Ismael Bennacer – 7
Bennacer accounted for over 7% of the match’s possession, taking 70 touches over 90 minutes. The Algerian had a quietly wonderful game, facilitating play from deep alongside his new partner Rade Krunic.
Rade Krunic – 7
Filling the shoes of Franck Kessie is no small task, but Krunic seems to be up to the challenge. He provides a physical defensive presence, but also has the ability to push forward as needed.
Rafael Leao – 6.5
Like his counterpart Messias, Leao had a decent game, but his finishing was not at its best. His incredible technical skill flashed throughout the match, and he worked well in tandem with Rebic.
Brahim Diaz – 7.5
Despite Milan’s addition of young star Charles De Ketelaere, Diaz started the game as Milan’s creative number ten. The Spaniard sparked several chances throughout the match, ultimately scoring the game-clinching goal seconds into the second half.
Junior Messias – 6
Positionally, Messias played a nice match, inserting himself into dangerous areas of the attacking third and finding gaps in the backline. However, as commentator Matteo Bonetti noted, his final ball lacked quality, and his performance was average on the whole.
Ante Rebic – 8
Rebic was at fault for the visitors’ opening goal, but he quickly compensated for the error. He converted Calabria’s cross to give his side the lead and also scored the fourth and final goal, confirming the win.
Substitutes
Charles De Ketelaere – 6.5
Milan’s big offseason signing took the pitch just after Rebic’s second. Towards the end of the match he appeared to score a dream debut goal, but it was nullified because Divock Origi was offside.
Alexis Saelemaekers – 5
The wide midfielder replaced Messias with 20 minutes remaining in the match. He was clearly still rusty from the offseason, with only 12 touches and four completed passes.
Olivier Giroud – N/A
Divock Origi – N/A
Tommaso Pobega – N/A
Gracing the San Siro stage for the first time ??#MilanUdinese #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/Ktq2yRcNB1
— AC Milan (@acmilan) August 13, 2022
Udinese
Marco Silvestri – 5
Though a majority of the Rossoneri goals were unstoppable, Silvestri still allowed four. At the end of the day, he was not particularly impressive in any facet of the game.
Nehuen Perez – 4
Milan’s talented attackers outclassed Perez, who allowed too much space between himself and Bram Nuytinck. At the start of the second 45, his horrid defensive header fell directly into the path of Diaz, gifting Milan an easy goal.
Bram Nuytinck – 6
The best of an average bunch, Nuytinck was the chief facilitator of Udinese’s attempts to play from the back. His distribution was fairly good, but the centre-back did little to curb the attacking onslaught coming from Rebic, Leao and Diaz.
Rodrigo Becao – 6
Becao furthered his strong goalscoring record against the Rossoneri, stunning Milan on a second-minute corner. The centre-back positioned himself perfectly at the front post and headed the ball past Maignan, who had no chance to stop the shot. However, Becao was not as solid defensively, losing track of Rebic on Milan’s fourth goal.
Adam Masina – 6.5
In the first half, as Udinese struggled to break through Milan’s defense, Masina struck, leveling the score. The goal was Masina’s one shining moment, however, as he struggled to break out for the remainder of the match.
Jean-Victor Makengo – 5.5
The French midfielder struggled to contain Diaz between the lines, with his one-on-one defensive skills being less than impressive. Makengo played a deep central midfield role, but he was not able to provide much resistance to Milan’s attacking scheme.
Walace – 6
Walace floated from wing to wing as a traditional central midfielder, but without the offensive intentions of his partner Pereyra. However, he failed to create much of significance and was taken off in the 76th minute.
Roberto Pereyra – 6.5
Playing in a box-to-box role, Pereyra was probably the best individual player for Udinese. He won a handful of tackles and completed 94% of his passes, but, like Walace, he had an otherwise quiet day.
Brandon Soppy – 5
After seemingly preventing a Calabria tap-in goal, the winger was unluckily called for an early penalty by the VAR. However, his play did not improve in the aftermath, and he failed to provide any sort of creativity on the right wing against Hernandez.
Gerard Deulofeu – 5
Though his quality corner kick gave the Zebrette a quick lead, the former Watford man did not turn in a great performance. He made numerous errors in the attacking third and wasted a prime two-on-one chance against Kalulu with poor positional awareness.
Isaac Success – 4.5
Despite having a fair amount of time on the ball, Success was unable to do much with it. He managed just 31 touches and 2 shots, both of which were off target.
Substitutes
Beto – 5.5
After providing 0.46 goals per 90 last season, Beto surprisingly did not start the match. The poacher came on for Success midway through the second half, but he failed to improve the level of play in Udinese’s attack.
Enzo Ebosse – 6
The Cameroonian made his Serie A debut, replacing Pereyra in the 67th minute. The 23-year-old looked decent in possession, but he was unable to provide much else.