After Mike Maignan committed a critical error, Salernitana drew 2-2 with the league leading Milan in an intense match.
The visitors controlled the majority of the fixture, but they were unable to penetrate the compact Granata defense. The centre of the pitch was a black hole for Stefano Pioli’s side, as Brahim Diaz struggled to create any sort of attack. On the other side, Milan Duric was in fine form, sparking both goals for the underdogs.
In Davide Nicola’s first match in charge, Duric led Salernitana’s 4-2-3-1 from the number nine position. Though the bottom dwellers made significant changes during the transfer window, their attack stayed relatively unchanged. Franck Ribery played in the attacking midfield, while leading goalscorer Federico Bonazzoli took his usual spot on the left wing.
Milan ran out its best 11 for the match. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic still out, Olivier Giroud started at striker. His midfield support consisted of Junior Messias, Brahim Diaz and Rafael Leao, who provided a high level of creativity and distribution from behind.
#SalernitanaMilan ?⚫
Our starting XI for tonight's game ?#SempreMilan@EASPORTSFIFA pic.twitter.com/5WgaCbcLIi— AC Milan (@acmilan) February 19, 2022
The First Half
Milan scored the opener with ease. Five minutes in, Theo Hernandez drove the ball from the left wing into the attacking third, drawing in several defenders. Messias, playing high against the backline, found an opening, and Hernandez played him into the box. Then, the Brazilian slotted the ball into the bottom corner, putting his side in front.
The Granata responded with a decent chance of their own. Juventus loanee Grigoris Kastanos played a cross to Duric at the back-post, but the Bosnian’s header was too weak to beat Maignan.
Later, Leao drew a foul on the edge of the box, and Milan was in position for a dangerous free kick. Ismael Bennacer fired a curling strike on goal, but Luigi Sepe’s diving save kept the score unchanged.
After a long period that lacked many attacking chances, Salernitana dramatically equalized. On a counter attack, Maignan bizarrely left his line to punch away a cross at the top of the box. However, it found Duric first, and the forward headed the ball down toward goal. It fell to Bonazzoli, who completed a bicycle kick into the open net to level the score.
Milan continued to attack, but poor finishing and passing in the final third left the match tied 1-1 by halftime.
?? Salernitana, starting XI?#SalernitanaMilan #macteanimo #forzagranata pic.twitter.com/YUIdbXeOCP
— US Salernitana 1919 (@OfficialUSS1919) February 19, 2022
The Second Half
After the break, Stefano Pioli made just one change to the lineup. He took off Bennacer, who had a poor first half, replacing him with Franck Kessie.
Another bicycle kick, this time by Rafael Leao, almost broke the deadlock for Milan. With Sepe out of position, a deflected cross found the Portuguese winger, but his shot flew just wide of the net.
Because of Salernitana’s centralized defense, Milan struggled to attack through the centre of the pitch. The Rossoneri resorted to playing long balls over the top and crossing in from the wing to create their chances. However, the opposition’s backline remained organized and dealt with the onslaught.
Next, it was Giroud’s turn to miss an easy goal. He broke free behind the backline into space, but his one-on-one shot from ten yards out was hit directly at Sepe.
Maignan’s dreadful day worsened when he turned the ball over to Bonazzoli in the box. He tried to dribble by the midfielder, who easily won possession. Fortunately for Milan, he was unable to finish into the open goal.
Brilliant combination play in the attacking third allowed Pasquale Mazzocchi to swing in a cross. The subsequent ball once again found Duric, and the forward continued his strong form, putting the minnows in front 2-1.
Milan responded quickly, equalizing on a brilliant shot by Ante Rebic. From 25 yards out, the Croatian ripped a low shot that found the bottom corner of the net, stunning the hosts.
After an extended period of end-to-end play, the match came to a close with the score level. For Nicola, it was an ideal start to his campaign to rescue Salernitana from relegation.