AC Milan Beat Sampdoria 1-0 In Opening Game As Diaz Shows Ability

AC Milan took on Sampdoria at the Marassi last night in the opening fixture of the 2021/22 Serie A campaign. Stefano Pioli took to the pitch with a very different side than that which finished the season against Atalanta last season. New signings Olivier Giroud and Mike Maignan starter, returning players Brahim Diaz, Sandro Tonali and Fikayo Tomori also got the nod whilst Davide Calabria wore the captain’s armband.

Milan came away with a 1-0 victory as the new no. 10 of the side Diaz opened the scoring within just 10 minutes of the season connecting with a drawn back square ball from Calabria to curl a finish at the keeper and into the back of the net. Milan dominated the game but struggled to find another goal as Colley isolated Giroud but Leao looked like a potent threat down that left wing.

By far, the MOTM is Maignan for his incredible saves throughout the game off free kicks, long shots and rebounds. He has shown why he was the best goalkeeper in France last season and is already winning over Milanisti. The keeper also looked great with the ball at his feet, his distribution was accurate and very useful in jumpstarting attacks. One clean sheet in the bag for the Frenchman.

You can watch the highlights here or below.