Leão, Dalot star in Milan win
Portuguese youngsters Diogo Dalot and Rafael Leão produced eye-catching performances this evening for AC Milan as both got on the scoresheet in a 3-0 win over Sparta Prague in the Europa League.
Dalot, making his home debut and deployed at left-back, was the provider for Leão’s goal before later scoring himself to make it a memorable occasion for the former Porto man. Meanwhile, Leão’s strike continues his good form in what threatens to be a breakout season for the striker in his second year in Italian football.
The performance of Dalot earned him a rating of 9.1 and Man of the Match on statistical analysis site WhoScored.com while for Leão a record of three goals and three assists from his last five appearances for the Rossoneri demonstrates his growing influence at San Siro.
Speaking after the match, Leão told reporters: “I am very happy to help the team score goals and win. I have a very good relationship with my coach and my teammates. We had a well-deserved victory today. We could have scored more goals, but we can be satisfied.
“Pioli? Our coach always talks to me. We analyse video replays together. Thanks to this, I can understand certain things better and develop further. Our coach always tells us to enjoy the game. It makes a difference.
“Each goal or assist brings confidence” – Leão
“Last year I came to a new country and a new league. Serie A is hard. I had some difficulties at first, but now I'm fine. Each goal or assist increases the confidence and sense of trust.
“Dalot? I get along really well with him. We have been playing with each other in the national team for many years. As a team, we help him adapt and teach him Italian.”
Milan top Group H of the Europa League with a 100% record from the opening two matches, ahead of a double-header against Leão’s former club Lille which begins with the French outfit arriving in Italy next week.
By Sean Gillen