Sinisa Mihajlovic found plenty of positives to build on despite Milan's defeat on penalties to Real Madrid in the International Champions Cup on Thursday.
The former Sampdoria coach has been tasked with the job of reviving Milan after two seasons of disappointment at San Siro, and having held Madrid to a goalless draw in Shanghai he was pleased with their progress.
Ultimately they were unable to secure the win as 16-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma saw his spot kick saved, giving Madrid a 10-9 success.
However, Mihajlovic enjoyed much of his side's performance and hopes they can take that into their Serie A campaign next month.
"After these two matches [Milan also played Inter in China], we have reached our objective," he said. "We competed on level terms with Real Madrid and dominated the match for large spells.
"The two matches that we played here give us courage and confirm what we have been doing. We have always trained well and with the utmost commitment.
"The performance was excellent. We can and we have to improve a lot more, by working hard and keeping our feet on the ground."
