AC Milan came from behind but were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at the Gewiss Stadium against Atalanta on Sunday night.
The opening goal came against the run of play and Gian Piero Gasperini’s side were the ones who got it as Ruslan Malinovskyi was not closed down and his shot from just outside the box deflected off Pierre Kalulu leaving Mike Maignan stranded.
Milan dictated the possession and the tempo of the game throughout but struggled for that bit of end product, however it came midway through the second half when Ismael Bennacer fired in an equaliser off the post.
There were no real concrete chances for either side to snatch it late on meaning both had to settle for a draw that, in truth, they might well take in a feisty and intense early season meeting.
Head coach Stefano Pioli opted to make just one change to the starting line-up that won against Udinese last Saturday as Sandro Tonali recovered from injury to take the spot of the now-injured Rade Krunic.
The Rossoneri scored in the first minute of the same fixture last season through Davide Calabria, and when Rafael Leao burst away down the left flank 20 seconds in there was the possibility for another lightning start, though the winger dragged his shot into the side netting with Junior Messias shouting for a cut-back.
A couple of minutes later he received a feed from Ante Rebic, spinning and shooting but firing into Musso’s hands.
Atalanta then got a bit more a of a foothold after starting under pressure, with Maehle and Malinovskyi both finding space to shoot on the right side of Milan’s box but both missing the target as they aimed to beat Mike Maignan at his near post.
The tackles then began to ramp up in aggression as Toloi went into the book for taking down Leao off the ball, and Theo Hernandez was clattered while Milan were building an attack which caused some worry on the bench, but he was ok to continue.
Tonali would have liked to have the chance back that he scuffed in the 20th minute when he was found on the edge of the box after a nice cut-back from Bennacer who was released by Calabria down the right.
Midway through the first half there was a big opportunity for Milan to take a lead their early pressure might well have deserved. Runners from midfield caused chaos in the Atalanta box and Theo whipped in a teasing ball that reached Messias at the far post, yet he hooked a half-volley wide.
Just before the half hour mark, Milan were made to pay for the wastefulness as Malinovskyi gave Atalanta a lead. The ball fell nicely to him around 20 yards out and he was not closed down, firing a shot that deflected off Kalulu and virtually down the middle of the goal.
Milan instantly resumed control of the game, having plenty of the ball but struggling to break through quite a compact home defence out of possession, with Kalulu having the best chance to level before the interval as he glanced a header from a corner wide.
The Rossoneri began the second half on the front foot and Hateboer might have been lucky to escape with just a yellow card as he flew through Leao with his studs showing just before the Portuguese winger got to the byline.
Kalulu had a chance to level with a header from a set piece just before the break and the Frenchman really should have done better four minutes after the interval as he rose highest to meet a free-kick but sent it over the bar from six yards out.
Atalanta responded with a headed chance of their own as Pasalic drilled in a cross on the half-volley that Hateboer met at the far post yet couldn’t quite get above.
Up at the other end it was Milan’s turn to come close again; this time Leao jinked inside onto his right foot from the left flank and whipped an effort narrowly wide of the far post with Musso rooted to his spot.
Maignan had to be alert to keep out a powerful header from Pasalic after a teasing cross found the Croatian. From the corner that resulted, he then flicked a header wide of the near post.
A double change came from Pioli in the 58th minute as Charles De Ketelaere and Olivier Giroud came on in place of Brahim Diaz and Rebic.
De Ketelaere should have had an assist almost instantly when he found Tonali’s run in behind with a perfectly weighted pass, yet the Italian midfielder only succeeded in dinking an effort that Musso scrambled and collected when he should have done better.
Milan began to get some joy with crosses after the substitutions. Firstly Musso saved from a Giroud header and then Messias tried to divert a header of his own inside the far post but didn’t quite get enough on it.
In the 66th minute a third and fourth change came for Milan as Alexis Saelemaekers and Divock Origi came on for Messias and Leao.
Milan got themselves level in what was quite a strange sequence of play. Ismael Bennacer let fly from 25 yards out and Musso parried it down low to his left with the ball looking like it would go out for a corner. However, Saelemaekers chased it down and fed the ball back to the Algeria international who took a touch inside onto his left foot and smacked one in off the inside of the post from about 15 yards.
Origi was very close to making himself the hero just inside the last 10 minutes as he picked up possession inside the box and was very close to getting a shot away that surely would have gone in but for a vital tackle from Djimsiti.
A final substitution was made with six minutes left on the clock as Alessandro Florenzi came on for Calabria, with Theo Hernandez taking the captain’s armband.
Neither side managed to create anything concrete in the dying embers of the game, with the home side in particular happy to settle for a point.
