Final result: Verona-Milan 0-1
HELLAS VERONA (Edited by Filippo D'Angelo)
Montiport 6,5 – Not to blame for Reijnders' goal, who found himself face to face with the goalkeeper after an error by the entire yellow and blue defence. Avoid a much heavier liability, thanks to a series of high-level saves. The one on Terracciano in the first half really sums up his match.
Dawidowicz 6 – A good first half for the Polish defender, who gets a yellow, triggering Zanetti's anger. A substitution that sounds more like a precaution than an exclusion, thanks to a second card that would not have gone down well with Verona. From the 46th minute Daniliuc 5 – Makes a serious mistake during Reijnders' goal, completely missing the Dutch midfielder.
Coppola 6 – Very attentive and punctual in the first half, his defense was surprised at the start of the second half by an illuminating pass from Fofana, who did well to serve Reijnders for AC Milan's huge lead.
Ghilardi 5,5 – He performed well especially in the first part of the match, conceding something more in the second half which Milan exploited for the victory.
Tchatchoua 5,5 – The match started very well but since Theo Hernandez's entry he suffered, giving a lot of space to both him and Jimenez, who played a great match.
Belahyane 5,5 – Tonight he didn't seem like the much talked about midfielder on the transfer market. Out of time and more aggressive than usual, Milan's ball possession suffers a lot. From 80' Tengstedt sv.
Duda 6 – What a match and what a duel with Reijnders, who surprised the yellow and blue defense at the start of the second half with a great movement. The midfielder perhaps could have done something more, but in general he offered a high-level performance, especially in the covering phase.
Kastanos 5,5 – He offers a concrete and quantitative performance but Zanetti, after the Rossoneri's lead, prefers to take it away to shuffle the cards on the table. Dal 60' Serdar 5.5 – A half hour of play in which he was able to do very little.
Lazovic 6 – Chukwueze did not light up this evening also thanks to his precious work. Precise and attentive in the defensive phase, less lively but still present in the attempts made by Verona. Overall, a sufficient race. Dal 73' Mosquera 5.5 – Zanetti wants to go all out but he doesn't give him guarantees.
Suslov 6 – Creates Verona's best chances, challenging Maignan with a series of very poisonous shots. On the pitch he doesn't say anything about them, especially to Terracciano with whom he fought throughout the match.
Sarr 5 – It was supposed to be the reference point for the Veronese attack, but it created very few dangers and seemed rather lost. Zanetti understands his difficulties and calls him back to the bench at half-time. Dal 46' Rocha Livramento 5 – Lots of movement, but little substance. His entrance onto the pitch was certainly among the most disappointing.
Paolo Zanetti 5,5 – His Verona held up very well in the first half, allowing themselves to be surprised only in the second half and chasing an equalizer until the end. Perhaps conflicting signals, but from which the yellow and blue will have to start again to find new points in terms of salvation.
MILAN
Maignan 6 – An uncomplicated evening, lived with the armband, in which he only had to make two saves and not with a high coefficient of difficulty.
Emerson Royal 5,5 – He runs a lot, drives forward, throws himself into half-space, but his movements do not bring benefits to the Rossoneri's offensive production. From 89' Tomori sv
Cage 6.5 – He is now the leader of the defense. He manages the work of the line, guides his teammates and always manages to keep the opposing attackers with their backs to the goal.
Thiaw 6 – Paired with his partner he gets along well and shows good solidity and great attention.
Jimenez 7 – He starts at left back, then switches to winger after Leao's injury and nothing changes. He plays with great determination and even manages to sow panic in the opposing defense. In his second start he convinces again and, continuing at this rate, Fonseca will struggle to remove him from the field. A real surprise.
Terracciano 6 – He plays in a completely new position, as a central midfielder, and he doesn't look out of place. Indeed, in the first half he was among the best (or least worse) of Milan.
Breath 7 – The ball that paves the way for Reijnders to make it 1-0 was simply brilliant. In addition to his physicality, he is slowly adding excellent finishing, often vertically, and thus undermines Verona's defense.
Chukwueze 5 – He loses several duels with Lazovic and is late to the ball more than once. Decisive plays were expected from him, but instead he most of the time takes refuge in the more banal ones. From 70' Calabria sv
Reijnders 7.5 – Let's update the accounts: fourth goal in the league, seventh of the season, fourth in the last three weeks. Without Pulisic, he goes into the attacking midfield and gives further proof that he has now become a total midfielder. MVP.
Leo 6 – At the start, like all Milan, he struggled. Then, when he seems to be starting to get into the heart of the game, he is stopped by a strain in his left flexor. Dal 32′ Theo Hernandez 5,5 – He doesn't seem to have a great desire to play and play well, after having endured the second consecutive benching for the benefit of the young Jimenez. Is he a little mad at Fonseca?
Abraham 5,5 – He shows off for a (slight) contact with Duda in the penalty area and that's it. Little, too little.
Paulo Fonseca 6 – No, Milan are not yet convincing. He leaves Theo on the bench for the second time, then Leao gets hurt and brings him on, but at that point the Frenchman doesn't give the right answers. For the final twenty minutes he plays with five full-backs and two centre-backs to keep the 1-0 lead. Better in the second half than in the first half, certainly, but the team must improve as soon as possible because this way it will be difficult to reach the Champions League, let alone the Scudetto.
