AC Milan vs. Lazio: Winners and Losers from Serie A
AC Milan and Lazio drew, 1-1, at the San Siro on Sunday evening in a clash of two sides lacking in confidence and form.
For the Rossoneri, this match represented their third league fixture without a win, while visitors Lazio have now drawn each of their last six Serie A games.
The result was a blow to both teams’ hopes of a top-six finish and European football next season.
Lazio took the lead on nine minutes after Marco Parolo rose to head home an in-swinging Lucas Biglia corner kick.
However the Biancocelesti’s one-goal advantage lasted all of six minutes, as Luiz Adriano played in Carlos Bacca to finish and draw Milan level.
Giacomo Bonaventura hit the crossbar with a wonderful free-kick on 37 minutes, and the home side gradually asserted themselves upon the fixture.
Halfway through the second half, both goalkeepers pulled off excellent saves in a flurry of chances.
First, Gianluigi Donnarumma deflected a Felipe Anderson strike round the post to deny Lazio a goal on the counter-attack. Then Federico Marchetti parried a Bonaventura shot after a deep, curling cross from Keisuke Honda.
The introduction of Mario Balotelli added verve to Milan’s attack, and the substitute pulled off some outstanding skill to turn his marker on 77 minutes before crossing for Bonaventura, whose shot was blocked.
When Lazio midfielder Senad Lulic was sent off, it felt as if Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side were destined to go on and seal all three points, but they were unable to prise open the away team’s defence for a second goal.
Both coaches cited inefficiency in the final third as the primary reason behind the draw.
Mihajlovic told Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) that, "We dominated the second half and created many chances, but if we don’t put it in the net, it becomes difficult to win."
Lazio coach Stefano Pioli similarly stated: "We tend to create a lot, as our statistics show we put in many crosses and have a lot of possession, but don’t finish off our chances," per Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia).
Here are Bleacher Report’s winners and losers from a match in which both teams, disappointingly, failed to grasp their opportunities en route to dropping points.
Winner: Luiz Adriano (Milan)
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Milan’s Brazilian striker, Luiz Adriano, has had a generally poor first season in Italy and even came close to leaving the club for China in the January transfer window.
However, with his battling display against Lazio, he showed he still has something to offer.
He set up Bacca’s goal for Milan’s equaliser, evidencing good hold-up play and intelligence to lay the ball off for the Colombian, and he worked hard throughout.
Adriano showed enough hunger to suggest he could do a reasonable job of replacing M’Baye Niang up front, with the French forward out for the rest of the season.
Loser: Milan Bisevac (Lazio)
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Milan Bisevac had difficulty dealing with the strength, work rate and movement of Milan’s strike pairing.
He couldn’t get to grips with Adriano for Milan’s equaliser and, alongside centre-back partner Wesley Hoedt, failed to cope with runs in behind throughout the game.
The Serbian didn’t complete a single tackle, per WhoScored.com, and will struggle to keep hold of his starting berth once Stefan de Vrij is back from injury.
Winner: Giacomo Bonaventura (Milan)
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Bonaventura’s recent struggles were documented in this post, though the Italian seemed back to his best against Lazio.
Because Italian national team manager Antonio Conte recently called him up for national team duty, the attacking midfielder appeared confident and adventurous, attempting six shots per WhoScored. Milan fans will be hoping he can continue this lively form as the team chase a top-six finish.
Loser: Senad Lulic (Lazio)
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Senad Lulic was the worst player on the pitch on Sunday evening, earning a dismal 4.82 rating from WhoScored for his wayward efforts.
The versatile utility man offered some graft but little creativity from his central role before being sent off for two bookable offences, having hauled down Honda.
As a result of his dismissal here, Lulic will miss the crucial Derby della Capitale against Roma on Sunday, 3 April.
Winner: Felipe Anderson (Lazio)
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Felipe Anderson relished his side’s counter-attacking strategy, using his pace to good effect on the break as Lazio gave Milan headaches with occasional quick transitions.
The Brazilian has underwhelmed for much of the campaign, but he appeared motivated to make an impact on this game. He completed one dribble and made one key pass, per WhoScored, evidencing renewed attacking purpose.
Loser: Patric (Lazio)
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Lazio right-back Patric played in the absence of Dusan Basta but failed to handle Bonaventura’s inventive dribbling. The 22-year-old, who joined the club last summer, seemed hesitant defensively and offered little going forward.
While young, he will have to improve soon if he is to establish himself as a top-level player.
Winner: Riccardo Montolivo (Milan)
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Milan captain Riccardo Montolivo demonstrated why he remains one of Mihajlovic’s first-choice midfielders with an assured outing against Lazio.
His pass success percentage was the best of all the Rossoneri’s starters at 85.7 per cent, per WhoScored, while he also racked up three interceptions.
His composed presence and contributions to the defensive and possession phases were important and will continue to be so as Milan’s quest for victories hots up after the upcoming international break.
