On Matchday 12, Torino pulled a massive upset, beating Milan 2-1 after goals from Aleksei Miranchuk and Koffi Djidji. Milan’s poor first-half showing forced manager Stefano Pioli to make drastic changes, with three substitutions coming on at halftime. Aside from one error, Torino’s defense was in solid form and allowed the visitors just one shot on target.
Torino
Vanja Milinkovic-Savic – 3.5
During the match, Milinkovic-Savic made multiple errors, but none were more crucial than in the 67th minute. The goalkeeper charged outside of the box and whiffed on an attempted clearance, and Junior Messias out-muscled Buongiorno and sent an easy finish into the open net.
Koffi Djidji – 8
Djidji scored an easy header to open scoring for Torino, and he played very well on the backline against Milan’s woeful attack.
Perr Schuurs – 6
Despite making a few mistakes, Schuurs played well overall and kept the Torino backline organized until he was taken off.
Alessandro Buongiorno – 5.5
Starting in place of captain Riccardo Rodriguez, Buongiorno’s performance was less than impressive. During the build-up to Milan’s lone goal, he made the situation much worse after being out-muscled by the much smaller Junior Messias.
Wilfried Singo – 7
Unusually, Singo did not add much of an attacking threat, but focused his play on neutralizing Theo Hernandez, which he did with success.
Valentino Lazaro – 7
At the left wing-back, Lazaro created a number of chances and ultimately picked up an assist when he played a wonderful cross to Djidji for the first goal.
Sasa Lukic – 6
Lukic had a quiet but effective night, playing in a more reserved deep-lying playmaker role. The additions of Vlasic and Miranchuk have changed the midfielder’s style of play a decent amount, but he still adds quality to this Torino side.
Samuele Ricci – 8
From his defensive midfield position, Ricci was a key component in Torino’s win. The 21-year-old restricted space between the lines, preventing Brahim Diaz from using his technical skill while also giving the back-three greater flexibility.
Nikola Vlasic – 7
Vlasic played a gritty and physical game, playing high and wide in the left channel. Though he lost possession several times, he frustrated Milan’s backline and picked up an assist on Miranchuk’s goal.
Aleksei Miranchuk – 8
Miranchuk played a versatile, attacking role for the hosts and scored a beautiful goal while being closed down by two defenders.
Pietro Pellegri – 5
Against Milan’s aggressive centre-back play, Pellegrini struggled to create offensive chances, and he often had to resort to dropping into the midfield. Towards the end of the match, Yann Karamoh replaced the striker.
Substitutes
Riccardo Rodriguez – N/A
Yann Karamoh – N/A
Karol Linetty – N/A
David Zima – N/A
Ndary Adopo – N/A
AC Milan are losing 2-0 to Torino at half-time ? pic.twitter.com/4z4ZN1xjH7
— LiveScore (@livescore) October 30, 2022
Milan
Ciprian Tatarusanu – 5
While the Romanian could not have stopped either of Torino’s goals, he had a few dubious moments where he looked unsure of himself. After playing well the past few games, it was a disappointing day for the 36-year-old.
Matteo Gabbia – 6
After a good start to the night, Gabbia had a bit of a gaff when he was out of position during Miranchuk’s drive into the box. He was able to close down the midfielder, but the Russian scored a brilliant goal that split the oncoming centre-backs.
Fikayo Tomori – 8.5
Tomori was far and away Milan’s best player on the night. The centre-back won several tackles and aerial challenges and completely shut down Pellegri.
Theo Hernandez – 5
Hernandez did not have a great match. Facing off with Wilfried Singo, the Frenchman struggled to advance the ball into the final third as the Ivorian restricted his space.
Pierre Kalulu – 4.5
With Davide Calabria still out with an injury, Kalulu again started as the right-back. However, he played poorly against Torino’s offense in the channel, making a number of questionable defensive plays. On Torino’s first goal, he lost track of Djidji, allowing the defender a free header to open scoring.
Sandro Tonali – 6.5
While Tonali was a significant defensive contributor, his distribution was not at its best due to Torino’s aggressive midfield play.
Tommaso Pobega – 8
Against his former club, Pobega played exceptionally well from the double pivot. He showed off his incredible passing skill, playing one perfect long-range ball to Rafael Leao that should have opened scoring for Milan in the first half.
Rafael Leao – 4.5
Leao got off to a poor shot, missing two point-blank chances in the first five minutes. For the remainder of the half, he struggled to influence the course of play and was removed at halftime with Milan down 2-0.
Junior Messias – 7
In the first half, Messias was Milan’s only impressive attacking player. He played with his usual tenacity and picked up a goal to halve the visitors’ deficit after a terrible mistake from Milinkovic-Savic.
Brahim Diaz – 4
As Torino’s backline played compact with two defensive midfielders in front, Diaz was unable to find much time or space on the ball. While being constantly man-marked, he lacked the needed creativity and was taken off at halftime along with Leao and Kalulu.
Divock Origi – 6
From the front, Origi played decently when in posession, but his side failed to provide him with adequate service. He registered just one shot on the night and had to resort to dropping deep into the midfield to get on the ball.
Substitutes
Sergino Dest – 6
Replacing Kalulu at the break, Dest did a decent job of giving Milan a more attacking-minded option on the wing.
Ante Rebic – 5
At first, Rebic’s introduction at the start of the second half seemed to give Milan’s offense a much-needed spark. However, his influence waned as the half wore on, and he ended with just 20 touches on the night.
Charles De Ketelaere – 5
Like Origi, De Ketelaere struggled to find the ball in the attacking third and had to play a deeper role in the midfield. Once again, the young Belgian was unable to succeed where Brahim failed and did not add much to Milan’s offense despite getting a full 45 minutes on the pitch.