A disappointing afternoon for the Rossoneri as they squandered an opportunity to close the gap on the top three with a draw against Udinese at the San Siro.
Milan, coming off two successive wins in the league against Inter and Palermo, hosted mid-table Udinese who had drawn their past two games. The wasteful Rossoneri were held by a spirited Udinese side that defended valiantly and managed to hold Milan at bay.
Former Milan left-back Pablo Armero scored in his return game for Udinese to open the scoring early.
In-form Milan striker M’Baye Niang scored his third goal in three games to square things up in the second half. A series of great opportunities soon came and went for Milan as they missed out on a chance to close the gap to four points behind Fiorentina.
Niang on song once again
M’Baye Niang went into this season with a lot of doubt. The past two seasons, he had been shipped out on loan and his position in the Milan side was up in the air.
However, we are now starting to see the Niang that many Milan fans have been waiting for. Another goal and solid performance is showing that he is growing in confidence every week and finally living up to his enormous potential. If he can keep this up over the next few weeks, there will be serious ramifications for many of Milan’s other strikers as it looks almost certain he has made the second striker role his.
The form he has produced over the past few games has proved to show exactly why Leicester City were so keen on signing him in January. Fortunately for Milan, he is still wearing the famous red and black.
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Stubborn Udinese show signs of improvement
Udinese have struggled this season. A mediocre side that has lacked punch up front and struggled defensively showed improvements with a solid outing. A much improved midfield with the singings of Kuzmanovic and Armero showed Milan how tenacious they can be when they get forward.
With Cyril Thereau and Ryder leading the line, Udinese did not cause much havoc. However, with Armero taking his chance in the first half, followed by fantastic goalkeeping by Orestis Karnezis, the game may have ended differently.
Donnarumma once again on form – Euros anyone?
Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Remember this name ladies and gentlemen.
At only 16 years of age, he is wowing all football fans with one excellent performance after another. The youngster was terrific against Udinese as he made a superb save off Francesco Lodi in the second half which turned into a counter-attack and a goal from Niang.
If it was not for Donnarumma, Milan probably would have lost the game and that save and play ended up swinging the tide back in Milan’s favour. He is playing with serious inspiration and a spot as the number three in Italy Euro 2016 squad must be considered thoroughly by Conte and co.
Milan’s still well and truly alive
A draw against Udinese does not end Milan’s season. It was disappointing draw for the Rossoneri but the performance from the players was still commendable. A superb second half from Milan was one to savour but chances squandered clearly cost them.
Andrea Bertolacci and Riccardo Montolivo missed guilt-edged opportunities to get the win late in the match, but it is not the be-all or end-all. With Inter and Fiorentina slipping up, it still keeps us within touching distance of the elusive Champions League position.
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