AC Milan striker Alberto Gilardino was happy with his performance in last night's 1-1 draw at Benfica.

Gilardino was played as a lone forward after Ronaldo cried off with an injury in the pre-match warm-up.

"It is only normal that if you start the way I did this season, with two goals against Shakhtar, you are able to play every other game with a more relaxed state of mind," said Gilardino. "It depends on the opponents, so the Coach does well to choose the right tactical system for that situation. The two strikers worked better in Cagliari and the one-forward system was more advisable here.

"I am accustomed to both roles. Having said that, when Ronaldo is beside you it creates more space and helps give the defenders something else to worry about."

On their performance, Gilardino added: "We played extremely good football for the first half-hour, then that goal from distance changed the game and we tried to sit back a little more and control the tempo. We attempted to move the ball around well, but the service didn't always get to me."