Chukwueze fails to build on preseason form as AC Milan fight for a draw against Torino in Serie A opener
i

Chukwueze fails to build on preseason form || Imago

Chukwueze fails to build on preseason form as AC Milan fight for a draw against Torino in Serie A opener

Stephen Oladehinde 22:03 - 17.08.2024

AC Milan began their Serie A campaign with a draw against Torino despite having a great preseason tour.

Samuel Chukwueze was in action for AC Milan but failed to help his team secure a win despite promising fans redemption before the start of the season.

The forward failed to impact the game and build on his preseason form as AC Milan fought back late in the game to secure a 2-2 draw against Torino.

As it happened 

AC Milan's new manager, Paulo Fonseca, played his first competitive game, with Samuel Chukwueze paired alongside Rafael Leao and Luka Jovic in attack.

Chukwueze, who had a poor campaign last season, was rewarded for his good form in Milan’s preseason games.

Paolo Vanoli, Torino manager, on the other hand, paired Duvan Zapata and Antonio Sanabria in attack.

var widgetLoaderConfig = widgetLoaderConfig || { CDN_URL: 'https://widgets.sportal365.com', APP_LINK: 'desktop', API_URL: 'https://africa.football.api.sportal365.com/', API_KEY: '2f852b4de2f3a5cf3188e74b33087bb4:2c18422f8e826a7d11aeed52edb2449e', LANG: 'en', REQUEST_INTERVAL: 30, ENABLE_BET_SLIP: false, AUTHOR: false, THEME: "light", TOURNAMENT_ORDER: "pulse_nigeria", LINK_OPTIONS_V2: { 'player' : { 'url': '/football/player/{playerId}' }, 'team' : { 'url': '/football/{teamId}' }, 'tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}' }, 'match': { 'url' : '/football/match/{matchId}', 'sort': { 'criteria': 'alphabetically', 'direction': 'asc' } }, 'configuration': { 'newWindow': false }, 'standings_tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}/standings' } } }; if (!document.querySelector('script[src="https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js"]')) { window.setTimeout(function () { let scriptCss = document.createElement('link'); scriptCss.href = 'https://www.pulsesports.ng/css/sport-widgets.css?v=1668785443'; scriptCss.rel = 'stylesheet'; scriptCss.type = 'text/css'; document.body.appendChild(scriptCss); let scriptTag = document.createElement('script'); scriptTag.src = 'https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js'; scriptTag.defer = true; scriptTag.onload = function () { window.setTimeout(function () { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }, 200); }; document.head.appendChild(scriptTag); }, 0); } else { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }

Milan started the game brightly, dominating most of the possession, but conceded a reckless goal in the 32nd minute.

Torino had a nice passage of play from defence to attack, which led to a cross from Zapata. The ball went straight to Raoul Bellanova, who planted his header onto the left post.

AC Milan vs Torino || Imago
AC Milan vs Torino || Imago

However, an agitated Malick Thiaw could not clear the ball on the goal line and put the ball into his own net.

Torino took their first-half performance into the second half and shortly after, they sank AC Milan’s hope of getting an equaliser.

Samuel Chukwueze in action || Imago
Samuel Chukwueze in action || Imago

A great cross from Valentino Lazaro found Duvan Zapata, who scored with a simple header into an empty net.

AC Milan tried to rally back and got two late equalisers. Tijjani Reijnders aimed and his effort deflected off Alvaro Morata to beat the goalkeeper.

AC Milan manager looking disappointed || Imago
AC Milan manager looking disappointed || Imago

Six minutes later, Yunus Musah put a cross into the box and found Noah Okafor, who latched on to the ball and struck the ball inside the left post.

The home team tried to push for the winner but could only settle for a 2-2 draw at the sound of the final whistle.

Tags: