Milan Player Ratings vs Cagliari: Vintage Leao Not Enough | OneFootball

Milan dropped two valuable points in a breathless 3-3 draw against Serie A minnows Cagliari at the Unipol Domus. Paulo Fonseca’s side failed to build momentum after a stunning 3-1 UEFA Champions League triumph at Real Madrid, squandering probably their last chance to return to the Scudetto picture.

Cagliari took the lead after only two minutes through Nadir Zortea. However, Milan replied shortly after through Rafael Leao’s first goal in Serie A since August. The same player turned the game on its head late in the first half with a superb solo goal.

But it’s worth noting Cagliari had two first-half goals overruled by VAR. Milan looked up the creek without a paddle at the back, allowing Davide Nicola’s side to pick up a well-deserved equalizer only eight minutes into the second half.

Gabriele Zappa restored parity before Tammy Abraham scored off the bench to put Milan back in front in the 69th minute. Unreasonably satisfied with a narrow advantage, Fonseca’s lads relinquished their attacking ambitions after netting the third.

Such a reckless approach backfired on Milan down the final stretch. Zappa notched up his first Serie A brace without an out-of-this-world volley to hand Cagliari a point, leaving the Rossoneri outside the European qualification spots heading into November’s international break.

Without further ado, let’s look at our player ratings.

Milan (4-2-3-1)

Mike Maignan – 6

Things would’ve probably been different had it not been for the French goalkeeper, who pulled off four saves to mitigate the damage.

Emerson Royal – 5

His defensive shortcomings came to the fore in Sardinia as Zito Luvumbo had his number all game, beating him in virtually every one-on-one duel.

Malick Thiaw – 5.5

It feels like ‘one step forward, two steps back’ for the German center-back. Despite an impressive display in Madrid, he seemed bereft of confidence, lacking determination in almost every intervention.

Strahinja Pavlovic – 5.5

Like his defensive partner, the Serbia international had a woeful evening at the Unipol Domus, highlighted by numerous poor anticipations and sloppy clearances.

Theo Hernandez – 6

Milan desperately lacked some ‘Theo magic’ tonight. In addition to an unconvincing defensive performance, the highly-rated left-back was sub-par in attack.

Youssouf Fofana – 4

A terrible evening for the Frenchman! Not only did he lack vision and precision in the build-up, but he also gifted Cagliari the equalizer early in the second half.

Tijjani Reijnders – 6.5

Far better than Fofana but still not as outstanding as he was against Monza and Real Madrid, the Dutchman tried to be the spark Milan needed in the engine room.

Samuel Chukwueze – 6

Despite enjoying plenty of possession on either side of halftime, the left-footed winger saw his final touch let him down time and time again.

Christian Pulisic – 5.5

Fonseca can’t afford to misuse the USMNT forward like this. Playing central seemingly suffocates Milan’s standout performer this season.

Rafael Leao – 8

A vintage Leao performance! After a phenomenal chip over the keeper to level the score, the Portuguese winger bagged his signature strike, breezing past the Cagliari defense and Simone Scuffet before putting the ball into an empty net.

Francesco Camarda – 6

A lack of service into the box must have frustrated the Milan prodigy in his first Serie A start, though he came close to scoring with a towering header in the second half.

Substitutes

Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 6

Tammy Abraham – 7