Napoli vs. AC Milan: Winners and Losers from Serie A
AC Milan extended their unbeaten run to 10 games in all competitions with a hugely impressive 1-1 draw away to Scudetto challengers Napoli on Monday evening.
The Rossoneri were blown away by Maurizio Sarri’s whirlwind attacking side earlier this season, losing 4-0 at San Siro last October. This draw was thus not only a good standalone result but also a noteworthy indication of just how much progress Sinisa Mihajlovic’s team has made.
There was an ominous air about the first half, with Napoli relentless in their search for the opening goal. That came on 38 minutes, as a deflected Lorenzo Insigne strike from outside the box found the bottom right corner beyond a despairing Gianluigi Donnarumma.
However, just six minutes later, Milan offered up a startling riposte against the run of play. A wonderful curled cross from Keisuke Honda glanced off Kalidou Koulibaly’s head and fell to Giacomo Bonaventura. The in-form Italian made no mistake to equalise before half-time.
The second half was similar in appearance to the first, with Milan soaking up waves of the Napoli attack before looking for countering opportunities of their own. But, ultimately, neither side could find the net again.
The draw means Napoli miss out on the chance to go ahead of Juventus at Serie A’s summit. In contrast, Milan will be delighted with the point.
Here are Bleacher Report’s winners and losers from an intense match.
Winner: Ignazio Abate (Milan)
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Ignazio Abate was simply outstanding in this match. The right-back showed his pace on several occasions to get back and recover when the ball was played in behind him, and he also made some important tackles.
Lorenzo Insigne has been one of the most exciting players in Europe this season, but up against an on-song Abate, he barely got a look in.
If Abate can stay injury-free and in this sort of form, he will no doubt alert Italy national team boss Antonio Conte ahead of this summer’s European Championships.
Loser: Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli)
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For the second week in a row, Gonzalo Higuain was given little room for manoeuvre by an extremely motivated and organised defensive line.
Last weekend, he struggled to get on the ball against Juventus with Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli keeping tabs on him. On Monday night, it was Milan’s centre-back duo of Alex and Cristian Zapata that kept him quiet.
The Argentine has been lethal throughout this season but has looked uncomfortable lately. Napoli may have to find new ways to incorporate him against deep defensive systems if they are to maintain their title challenge.
Winner: Cristian Zapata (Milan)
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Coming in for Alessio Romagnoli, Zapata put in an assured display alongside Alex to reduce space for Higuain and subsequently limit Napoli’s attacking threat.
According to WhoScored.com, the Colombian made seven clearances, four interceptions and two tackles to thwart the Patenopei’s progress. If he keeps playing like this, he may deserve an extension to his contract, which is set to expire in the summer, per Transfermarkt.co.uk.
Loser: Elseid Hysaj (Napoli)
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Albanian right-back Elseid Hysaj has been one of the signings of the season, having joined Napoli for just £3.75 million last summer, per Transfermarkt.co.uk.
However he had a difficult time on Monday night. He was sucked in for Milan’s equaliser after losing track of Giacomo Bonaventura, and his deliveries in the final third were frustrating.
Fortunately, at just 22 years of age, Hysaj has plenty of time to learn from such poor displays.
Winner: Giacomo Bonaventura (Milan)
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It has been said many times now, but Bonaventura has been Milan’s best and most consistent player this season. On multiple occasions, he has turned up at the right time to score, and he did so again against Napoli.
Aside from his goal, he worked extremely hard both on the ball to retain it and wait for support, and off it to harry Napoli and limit space for the home side between the lines.
It’s in these types of performances, where Bonaventura combines class with guts, that he looks like genuine captaincy material.
Loser: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan)
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Milan’s 16-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma had a rare game to forget in his side’s draw with Napoli.
After taking far too long with several goal kicks, he was deemed to be wasting time and handed a yellow card. He also had trouble with some of his distribution and was slightly slow to react to Insigne’s deflected shot for the opener, something he admitted afterward, telling Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia), “I could have done more on the goal.”
For all of this, he was awarded a poor 6.13 rating by WhoScored.com.
Born in Naples, it is entirely possible that Donnarumma had trouble being on the receiving end of the San Paulo crowd’s intense jeers. While not his finest hour, it was certainly a learning experience for the youngster.
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