Amidst the jeers and fake dollars, Gianluigi Donnarumma stayed focused but couldn’t make the difference in Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League loss to Milan.
The 24-year-old Italian shot stopper has never been forgiven by the Rossoneri faithful after leaving on a free transfer two years ago, and the fans made their feelings known in a packed Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Tuesday evening, giving the goalkeeper an incredibly cold reception.
Fake dollars were distributed and thrown onto the pitch, and Donnarumma was loudly jeered and booed by Milan fans every time he touched the ball. Milan edged out a tense 2-1 win over PSG thanks to goals from Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud, nullifying Milan Skriniar’s opener.
La Gazzetta dello Sport were fairly impressed with Donnarumma’s work in the match but questioned whether he could’ve stopped Leao’s equaliser, writing: “Two champion save, a great stop on Theo – from a distance, but on the post – and an extension on Okafor. On Leao’s goal could he have done better? Um, maybe…”
Tuttosport echoed the states of the pink newspaper, highlighting the goalkeeper’s focus and letting him off for the two goals conceded by PSG, commenting: “Not an easy night, but he didn’t get distracted. Reactive on Giroud’s left-footer, but on Leao’s reverse tap-in he was disturbed by Marquinhos.
“Seemed clumsy? True, but the dynamics of the action were not easy to read. He could do nothing on Giroud’s header, miracle at the end on Okafor.”
Corriere della Sera agreed that Donnarumma should’ve likely done more for Leao’s goal and referenced the fans’ cold welcome, noting: “Distracted by the shower of fake dollars? The fact is that on his former team-mate Leao’s bicycle kick he crumpled, perhaps he could have done more. But then he made two Super Gigio saves.”
Corriere dello Sport were less impressed than their counterparts, highlighting the misery of his return, saying: “He can’t do much more (central deviation) on Giroud’s diagonal that Leao turned into a goal. If anything, he remained a little bamboozled by that very acrobatic move.
“The ball slipped into the net amidst the ‘dollarummi’ raining down from his old corner. Bravissimo on Okafor and Hernandez’s free kick. In the end, double bitterness in his return to Milan as an enemy.”
Donnarumma’s ratings in the Italian newspapers
La Gazzetta dello Sport: 7
Tuttosport: 7
Corriere della Sera: 7
Corriere dello Sport: 6.5