A 1‑1 DRAW IN BERGAMO
Serie A
AC Milan recorded their first draw of the season as they were held by Atalanta. Malinovskyi opened the scoring for the hosts before Ismaël Bennacer equalised with a stunning second-half strike as the game ended 1-1. The draw is a bit deceptive as the Rossoneri certainly deserved more from the game, especially after a first half with many chances. It was, however, a vital point as the Rossoneri fought hard to bring themselves level.
AC Milan certainly put in a performance full of positives given their attitude and personality, as the Rossoneri looked to impose themselves on a tough ground. The guests created a host of chances in their first big game of the season and looked more solid at the back than they did last week against Udinese. It's a big point early in the season, which is continuing without pause as, next week, we host Bologna at San Siro on Saturday at 20:45 CEST.
CHECK OUT THE GALLERY FROM ATALANTA v AC MILAN
MATCH REPORT
The match started at a high tempo: it just took 18 seconds for the first attempt to come from Leão, who also threatened a couple of minutes later. The hosts responded with an effort from Malinovskyi, but AC Milan were the side taking the game to their opponents and enjoying a lot of possession in the final third. A big opportunity fell Messias’ way in the 23rd minute, but the Brazilian fired wide from a great position at the back post. However, it was Atalanta who took the lead on the 29-minute mark: Mæhle picked out Malinovskyi, who hit it hard from the edge of the box, with a deflection off Kalulu leaving Maignan with no chance. The Rossoneri looked to respond as Kalulu headed wide from a corner after 32 minutes. In the 44th minute, the ball fell to Calabria following another corner, but the Italian couldn’t quite keep his shot on target.
The Rossoneri were proactive at the start of the second half. In the 50th minute, Kalulu headed narrowly over, while, three minutes later, Leão drived a long-range effort just wide after a nice bit of individual play. AC Milan had another opportunity on the hour mark as Tonali was played in by the newly introduced De Ketelaere, but Musso rushed off his line to smother. Coach Pioli shuffled his pack, changing all four attacking players between the 58th and 66th minutes, but it was a midfielder who grabbed the equaliser. Saelemaekers found Bennacer, who, having tested Musso a minute earlier, got the better of Mæhle and bent the ball into the net in brilliant fashion. In the closing stages, the two teams started to become more and more stretched, but chances were at a premium. Hernández had the best opportunity, but he was unable to beat Musso from the edge of the area. It finished 1-1.
MATCH DETAILS
ATALANTA 1-1 AC MILAN
ATALANTA (3-4-2-1): Musso; Tolói, Demiral (82' Okoli), Djimsiti; Hateboer, de Roon, Koopmeiners, Mæhle (89' Zortea); Malinovskyi (73' Lookman), Pašalić (73' Scalvini); Zapata (73' Muriel). Subs.: Rossi, Sportiello; Ruggeri, Soppy; Boga. Coach: Gasperini.
AC MILAN (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria (84' Florenzi), Kalulu, Tomori, Hernández; Tonali, Bennacer; Messias (66' Saelemaekers), Díaz (58' De Ketelaere), Leão (66' Origi); Rebić (58' Giroud). Subs.: Mirante, Tătăruşanu; Ballo-Touré, Gabbia, Kjær; Adli, Bakayoko, Pobega. Coach: Pioli.
Referee: Maresca from Napoli.
Goals: 29' Malinovskyi (A), 68' Bennacer (M).
Booked: 16' Tolói (A), 23' Pioli (M), 45'+1 Rebić (M), 48' Hateboer (A), 75' Tonali (M), 78' Djimsiti (A), 78' Hernández (M), 96' de Roon (A).
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