Another Gianluca Mancini goal gave Roma a 1-0 win in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, while Rafael Leao was booed by his own fans when subbed off. Check out player ratings.
Milan
Maignan 6.5 – Pretty busy in the first half, but he couldn’t avoid Mancini’s goal.
Calabria 5 – A defensive performance and when he ran forward, he didn’t show clear ideas.
Thiaw 5 – Struggled against Lukaku in the first half. Still not fully fit.
Gabbia 5.5 – More solid than Thiaw, but still not entirely convincing. Roma had more than a chance to score the second.
Theo Hernandez 5 – It wasn’t the dominating version of Theo we see in Serie A nearly every weekend, plus, Mancini outjumped him to score the winner.
Bennacer 5 – Slow and sloppy, no surprise he was subbed off early. (59′ Adli 5)
Reijnders 6 – At least, he moved the ball quickly and tried to score from outside the box.
Pulisic 4.5 – The American star received a yellow card in the first half and was never a threat down the left. (78′ Chukwueze 6.5)
Loftus-Cheek 5 – Returned to action after serving a one-match ban against Lecce on Saturday, but didn’t seem rested at all. Roma left no space for him.
Leao 4.5 – He was in the form of his life prior to the game. The Serie A player with the most goal contributions across all competitions in 2024. Tonight, he failed in everything he did. Even when he had space to sprint, he just didn’t contribute. Booed by several Milan fans when he was subbed off. (78′ Okafor N/A)
Giroud 5 – Very irritable, argued with Svilar in the second half and saw Smalling win almost every duel. Wasted a massive chance for the equaliser, hitting the crossbar from point-blank range.
Coach: Pioli 5 – The Rossoneri capitulated after seven consecutive victories across all competitions. His stars let him down, but Milan had no plan B, except substitutions.
ROMA
Svilar 6.5 – Denied Reijnders in the second half and showed personality when claiming the ball.
Celik 6.5 – Who knows, DDR may have found a new right-back as the Turkey international started against Lazio and Milan, the most important games of the season so far, and was never disappointing. Even against Leao.
Mancini 7.5 – Another decisive goal for the Italian defender who also won many duels with Milan strikers.
Smalling 7 – Now that he’s back, Roma fans realise how much they’ve been missing the Englishman this season. Dominating performance against Giroud, one of the best Serie A strikers this season.
Spinazzola 6.5 – The clock went back to Euro 2020 when Spina sprinted past Pulisic and Calabria before the break. He couldn’t keep it up until the end, but it was the highlight of a very wise performance.
Cristante 6.5 – Will miss the second leg after receiving a yellow card tonight. Will be missed. Another solid performance in the middle of the park.
Paredes 7 – It feels like Rossi and the Argentinean speak the same language in footballing terms. The midfielder showed quality and personality in San Siro. Reborn. (89′ Bove N/A)
Pellegrini 6.5 – The Italy international had a couple of chances to hurt the Rossoneri but was never in a really comfortable position. His dynamism caused trouble for Pioli’s midfielders. (89′ Aouar N/A)
Dybala 6.5 – Sharp in the first half, smart in the second half. Not many chances to score but always vital to Roma. (80′ Abraham N/A)
Lukaku 6 – If he was quicker, he could have had a couple of opportunities to score. Nevertheless, he made Milan’s defenders struggle with his physicality. (90′ Llorente N/A)
El Shaarawy 6.5 – Surprisingly played on the right and had the first chance of the night. Complete performance as the ex-Milan winger helped the team defensively in the final minutes.
Coach: De Rossi 7 – Beat Pioli tactically. Like in the derby, Roma had the best chances in the opening 60 minutes before gradually tracking back to defend inside the box.