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AC Milan secured their spot in the Coppa Italia Round of 16 after beating Lecce by three goals to nil at San Siro. Several players did well and below are the ratings for the Rossoneri.
If you haven’t already, make sure to check out how we decide the player ratings. From the scale to what affects the rating, we have compiled everything there.
Starting XI
Maignan (6): Considering Lecce only had one shot on target, albeit a powerful free-kick effort on the edge of the box, there wasn’t much for the Frenchman to do this evening. Not even with his feet as Milan were allowed time in the backline.
Tomori (6): Another very solid display from the Englishman with good defending, as well as some overlapping runs in attack. Not that he was massively tested by the Lecce attack, but still positive.
De Winter (6): He looked calm and confident, like he said before the game, though it ended up being a very comfortable game for the defenders. Camarda had to fight on his own, basically, so I can’t really give a high rating here.
Pavlovic (6.5): Just about gets a 6.5 here for his involvement in attack, pushing up high often to offer support. Of course, the main highlight from him was the free-kick effort that forced a wonderful save out of the goalkeeper.
Saelemaekers (7): This game suited him really well as he was able to run at the defenders. As always, he was lively and that helped the team a lot. He almost got a great assist in the first half, when Rabiot hit the woodwork, but Nkunku made sure he got one in the second half after another great cross.
Loftus-Cheek (7): To be honest, he was extremely unlucky not to get a goal. He had a shot cleared off the line after just two minutes, then shot just wide at the end of the first half, and finally hit the post after a very nice turn in the second half. He was also involved in the third goal. Great performance indeed.
Ricci (5.5): It may seem harsh, but considering the level of the opponent and the good opportunity this was for the midfielder, he didn’t take it. There were some good passes, don’t get me wrong, but he didn’t make the holding role his and often found himself out wide. Plus, the tactical yellow card was very unnecessary and may be why he was subbed off so early.
Rabiot (7 – MOTM): The Frenchman nearly got a goal, hitting the woodwork at the back post, but he was highly involved in the first goal after a great pass for Bartesaghi. He also got stuck in, both in attack and in defence, and showed great leadership. For me, the way he made up for Modric’s absence is the main reason for the MOTM here.
Bartesaghi (6.5): There were no question marks about his performance tonight, offering both solid defending and attacking involvement. He made the run quite often in attack and was rewarded when Rabiot picked him out, which resulted in the assist for Gimenez. Encouraging from the youngster.
Nkunku (7): He was lively from the get-go and made things happen when in possession. For example, he was the reason Lecce had to play with 10 men. He did miss two good chances after that, but then found the back of the net with a lovely finish on the volley. A high-quality goal, in other words, and an encouraging display.
Gimenez (6.5): He’s off the mark! Though a goal might warrant a higher rating, we have to remember he missed a couple of good chances before that. It was also a pretty easy finish in the end to break the deadlock. Nevertheless, very important for him tonight and nearly a 7 here.
Substitutes
Fofana (6.5): The midfielder got involved immediately with some nice passes and eventually got an assist, sending a cross into the box that Pulisic capitalised on.
Athekame (6): He’s clearly got good pace and strength in his runs, which is something that could come in handy, and he got to show some of that tonight.
Pulisic (7): It didn’t take many minutes before he got on the scoresheet. The awareness to make the run, not to mention the finish, is very impressive. He caused issues for Lecce after that as well, almost forcing an own-goal after a good move inside the box.
Balentien (6): Confidence isn’t lacking after all that time spent at Milanello, that’s for sure! He’s still a bit raw but there’s potential there.
Odogu (N/A): I didn’t see enough to give him a rating.
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