AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali is finding it hard to tell whether to consider the draw against Atalanta as one point gained or two points lost.
The opening goal came against the run of play as Gian Piero Gasperini’s side too the lead through Ruslan Malinovskyi. The Ukraine international was not closed down and his shot from just outside the box deflected off Pierre Kalulu leaving Mike Maignan stranded.
Milan dictated the game throughout but struggled for that bit of end product, but it came midway through the second half when Ismael Bennacer fired in an equaliser off the post after cutting back onto his left foot. Despite bringing on five forwards off the bench however, a winner never came.
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.
Tonali spoke to Milan TV after the game to reflect on the draw and the performance from him and his team-mates, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
Is it one point gained or two lost? “We have all seen the performance, I don’t know if a point gained is the right definition. We have done much more, we created a lot and finished little. We cannot say either two points lost or one point gained.”
Did you expect this match like this? “Yes, we prepared for it being like this. Conceding the goal changed our plans, in the second half we started from scratch. We played as a team and fought until the last minute.”
Do the teams face you differently than last year? “For sure, we are the Italian champions: the goal now is to fight. We know, we enter the field with even more desire than last year.”
Next up is Bologna: “Maybe it will be a different match, but let’s start from scratch. Always fight and try to do the best possible.”
