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Player Ratings: AC Milan 1-1 Olympique Marseille

Goal.com rates the performers on an even night in San Siro...

Nov 25, 2009 10:21:05 PM

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Lucho Gonzalez (Marseille)

Teams

AC Milan

Dida 5 Suspect handling on the goal but pushed enough around the post to merit a decent mark tonight.

Oddo n/a Lasted barely half an hour before succumbing to injury. Was at fault for the goal before his departure.

Nesta 4.5 The veteran was far from his best tonight. Nesta gave the ball away too readily and was slow off the mark in reaching Marseille's energetic attackers. Will want to forget this one.

Thiago Silva 7.5 The one central defender to escape without a blemish on his copy book. Well positioned for the duration and helped his more experienced colleague through a difficult game. Also, his mid to long range passing was second to none.

Zambrotta 5.5 Dived and was booked in the opposition penalty area but that may be a testament to his willingness to get forward. Did well in that respect, but so did Bonnart on the same side for OM.

Ambrosini 6.5 Little subtlety to the captain's display; his was a tenacious performance but he ran out of steam as the second half wore on. Nonetheless, a forceful midfield presence.

Pirlo 5.5 Not his best display in the red and black. Lucho bullied him in the first half and he struggled to find the key balls that usually come easily.

Seedorf 7 Linked the play well between midfield and attack and was the one Milan midfielder whose energy levels failed to sag. Full of craft but measured it out with a competitive spirit.

Pato 7 Continues his fine Champions League form. Worried Taiwo with the ball at his feet and was unlucky not to have claimed a goal on a night when his own personal chance tally was limited.

Ronaldinho 7.5 Impressed again on the left side of attack. Full of tricks and flicks, he added substance to his style with some killer passes into the centre.

Borriello 5.5 Gets cursory marks for the one goal he scored but could have had a hat-trick. Missed too many chances when played into potentially match-winning positions.

Subs:

Abate 3.5 Struggled all night against a variety of opponents. Not up to the standard and lucky not to have conceded a penalty.

Olympique Marseille

Mandanda 6 Made some decent stops when required but was well beaten on the goal.

Bonnart 6 The best of the Marseille back four, even if he struggled when faced with Ronaldinho one on one. He got forward well though and provided good width in the final third.

Diawara 5 Caught under the high ball on more than one occasion and was guilty of some heavy handed tackling. Nonetheless, he could have won it late on with a post-bound header.

Heinze 5 Commitment to the cause was never in doubt but again suffered poor form when it mattered. Hapless on Borriello's goal and could only watch on as the Italian squandered chance after chance.

Taiwo 4 Poor positionally and was given a hard time by Pato. Milan tried to locate the Brazilian at every opportunity and when isolated, Taiwo provided easy pickings.

Cheyrou 6.5 Tidy but could not become the match-winner when given a great chance just after half-time.

Abriel 7.5 The former Lille man was a thorn in the side of Zambrotta and caused Ambrosini and Pirlo to exert more energy than they would have wanted too. Efficient and dangerous, the Reunion-born midfielder was one of the best in blue.

Cisse 8.5 An expert display in the centre of the field. Broke up play with minimal fuss and also launched attacks for his side with accurate passing. A through-ball for Niang and a fine block on Pirlo stand out.

Lucho 7 The injury-ravaged midfielder took his goal well and tried his best to kick (legally) Pirlo off the park. Faded in the second half but not before he made his presence felt.

Niang 8 Again, awesome. His own efforts on goal were limited as he occupied, instead, a wider role. However, his exertions were key to OM's attacking play and he is unfortunate to have only one assist to his name.

Brandao 4 His miss in the second half will be on lowlights reels for years to come. Static movement in the box meant that les Phoceens were light on presence in key areas. Disappointing show.

Subs:

Ben Arfa 6 Should have had a penalty, or at least, a free-kick on the edge of the area. Busy.

Kone 5 With better decision making, could have made an impact.

Morientes n/a Too late to make an impact.

Peter Staunton, Goal.com

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