i Rossoneri - Journey Back To The Top

Alessandro Nesta got his first shot at competitive football management this month. The league campaign kicked off on the 25th, with a visit to Udinese. Before that however, they got their UEFA Champions League season started. After being drawn against Greek side PAOK in the Best Placed Playoff. Their first tie was at home to the Superleague side, with the return leg being played after the game against Udinese.

: Nigel De Jong, 7.4

With AC Milan the hot favourites going into the game, it came as a surprise to many when Greek side PAOK took the lead at the San Siro. They took the lead after just five minutes when Spanish midfielder Lucas whipped a free kick into the penalty area from out wide. Stefanos Athanasiadis rose above the Milan defenders and headed past Abbiati, who was rooted to the spot. The lead didn't last however, and Milan were level just fifteen minutes later. After Mario Balotelli had made a darting run from just outside Milan's penalty area and deep into the PAOK half, he found Alessandro Matri in acres of space inside the penalty area. With just one man level with him, he slipped the ball into the net past the keeper to find the equalizer.

The match finished level, and Milan fans were despondent at not being able to get a good lead to go into the away leg in Greece, and conceding the away goal can only have made the fans a little less hopeful but they did get the chance to see Alessandro Nesta's new signings - Miralem Pjanić and Martín Montoya. Attendance: 64, 473.

: Mario Balotelli, 9.6

After the disappointing draw in the home tie against PAOK, AC Milan made the journey to Greece where they needed a win or a high scoring draw to progress to the Group Stages. And they soon had their lead, through Italian striker Mario Balotelli, just before twenty minutes had passed. Mattia De Sciglio received the ball out wide. He took a touch to bring the ball inside the area, and then played a dangerous ball across the face of goal. All Balotelli had to do was tap it in, and he did so with ease to make the score 0-1. But PAOK equalized in front of their supporters when Miroslav Stoch crossed the ball low towards Lucas, who drove the ball past the goalkeeper from close range.




AC Milan retook the lead after the half time break through Balotelli once again, this time his goal coming as the result of a corner. The ball was crossed in by Andrea Poli. The defenders managed to scramble it out of the penalty area, but it went straight to Balotelli, who smashed the ball into the top corner. New signing Miralem Pjanić got his first goal for the club minutes later with a brilliant free kick from a tight angle, which rippled the back of the net. Balotelli completed both his hat trick and the scoreline when he intercepted a back pass from Stelios Kitsiou. He was clear of the defence and the goalkeeper was poorly positioned on account of the poor back pass. This win saw Milan into the Group Stages of the UEFA Champions League, and saw the travelling fans go home happy. Attendance: 1,220.

: Maurizio Domizzi, 7.9

Serie A is always a highly competitive league, and many people tuned in to watch the opening weekend of the new season, with Udinese VS AC Milan one of the games of the weekend.
And after just ten minutes, Francesco Guidolin's Udinese were in the lead. The goal came when veteran Italian striker Antonio Di Natale swung in a corner, which Maurizio Domizzi headed past the keeper, unmarked. Just four minutes later, AC Milan were level, with Brazilian midfielder Kaká, on his first return to the league since departing Milan for a fee of £57 million back in 2009. New signing - Spanish fullback Martín Montoya - picked up the ball out wide, before running into the area and pulling the ball back across goal where Kaká only had to poke the ball in. AC Milan took the lead, and actually won the game just after half an hour had passed, when Stephan El Shaarawy crossed into the penalty area, where Mario Balotelli was waiting unmarked. The Italian striker headed brilliantly into the top corner to earn the winning goal. A good win for i Rossoneri in the opening game, and a great starting point as they gear up for the rest of the season. Attendance: 19,711.