Milan Player Ratings vs Parma: Breathtaking Scenes at San Siro | OneFootball

Sergio Conceicao led Milan to another nerve-shredding victory as the Rossoneri had to fight back twice to beat Serie A minnows Parma 3-2 on Sunday afternoon.

Milan bounced back from a disheartening 2-0 defeat at Juventus last weekend with a gutsy 1-0 home win against Girona in midweek Champions League action, significantly increasing their chances of securing automatic Round-of-16 qualification. However, they were in a dire situation in Serie A before the kick-off.

Just one triumph from their last four league outings left them eight points adrift of fourth-placed Lazio pre-round. Therefore, victory against Parma was imperative. However, game didn’t start well for Milan as Matteo Cancellieri took advantage of Theo Hernandez’s blunder to put Fabio Pecchia’s team in front.

Milan bounced back less than 15 minutes after falling behind. Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuku committed a silly foul on Strahinja Pavlovic in the box, leaving referee Rosario Abisso no choice but to point to the spot. Christian Pulisic was ruthless to put things back to square one.

Yet, Parma regained the lead in the 80th minute through Enrico Del Prato as Milan cheaply lost the ball at the halfway line. Sergio Conceicao’s side looked disjointed the whole game but had Pavlovic to bail them out, or so they thought. VAR ruled out the Serbian’s late equalizer for a marginal offside.

Moments later, Tijjani Reijnders drew Milan level with a composed finish. It wasn’t the end of drama at the San Siro. Pavlovic headed the ball down for second-half substitute Samuel Chukwueze, who fortunately turned it past Suzuki to complete the turnaround at the death.

Milan (4-2-3-1)

Mike Maignan – 7

There wasn’t much he could’ve done to stop Cancellieri. However, he slammed the door shut afterward, rescuing Milan with a vital save to thwart Pontus Almqvist in a one-on-one.

Davide Calabria – 6

Except for several feeble crosses, the Milan captain offered nothing in attack. However, he kept Valentin Mikhaila at arm’s length, delivering a near-flawless defensive performance.

Matteo Gabbia – 5.5

Demolished in the air by Milan Djuric, the Italian defender found a way to atone with decent positioning, especially in the second half.

Strahinja Pavlovic – 8

It was a classic ‘Pavlovic’ booking early on as he paid the price for being over-zealous. However, the towering Serb grew into the context after drawing a penalty, making some crucial interceptions. VAR disallowed his late header.

Theo Hernandez – 2

A complete absence of concentration saw the French left-back piece together one of his worst showings in the Milan shirt. His slip-up allowed Cancellieri to beat Maignan.

Youssouf Fofana – 6.5

Without Ismael Bennacer in the starting XI, the ex-Monaco star assumed playmaking responsibilities and excelled! Unfortunately, he picked up a disqualifying yellow card for a tactical foul in the first half.

Yunus Musah – 5

Both backheel attempts made fans at the San Siro laugh, while the second cost Fofana suspension for the upcoming Derby della Madonnina. Disoriented!

Tijjani Reijnders – 6.5

Following a relatively quiet first half, the Dutch midfielder showed much more promise after the break, putting Suzuki to the test twice but to no avail. But he salvaged Milan again with a stoppage-time strike.

Rafael Leao – 2

After a match-winning performance against Girona, the Milan superstar switched off, losing virtually every possession in the first half. Understandably left in the locker room at halftime.

Christian Pulisic – 6

Almost nothing went his way before the penalty, even though he was far better than Leao. It would’ve been a dismal afternoon for the USMNT captain had it not been for the goal.

Alvaro Morata – 3

Milan would be well-advised to accelerate their pursuit of Santiago Gimenez. Morata showed once again he’s not a prolific marksman, doing very little to disrupt Parma’s defensive block before being subbed off.

Substitutes

Davide Bartesaghi – 6.5

Ismael Bennacer – 5.5