The former Inter defender stood down as Sampdoria boss at the end of last season and has now been confirmed as Filippo Inzaghi’s successor

AC Milan have announced the appointment of Sinisa Mihajlovic as the club’s new coach on a two-year contract.

The Serbian’s arrival was confirmed just under 90 minutes after the Rossoneri confirmed the dismissal of Filippo Inzaghi halfway through his deal with the San Siro side on Tuesday.

Mihajlovic led Sampdoria to a seventh-placed finish in Serie A last season but stepped down at the end of the campaign, revealing in an open letter to the club’s fans that he was seeking “another challenge”.

The 46-year-old had initially been expected to succeed Rafael Benitez as Napoli boss but the former Inter defender has now returned to San Siro to take charge of the Nerazzurri’s city rivals.

“Sinisa Mihajlovic, who has signed a two-year contract, will be the new coach of AC Milan for next season,” read a statement on the Rossoneri’s official website.

“The club wish him good luck in his work and the best results.”

Milan had originally sought to re-hire Carlo Ancelotti, after he was sacked by Real Madrid last month, but the 55-year-old ultimately decided to follow through with his plan to take a break from the game in order to recover from scheduled back surgery.

Mihajlovic spent two years with Inter before retiring in 2006 and taking on the role of assistant coach Roberto Mancini, who is now back in charge of the Nerazzurri.

The set-piece specialist then took the top job at Bologna before enjoying spells with Catania, Fiorentina, Serbia and Samp.

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A string of superb saves denied Keisuke Honda and the dominant hosts as they began World Cup qualifying with a draw

Mohamad Izwan bin Mahbud put on a goalkeeping masterclass as Japan were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Singapore in their opening 2018 World Cup qualifier.

Vahid Halilhodzic’s Japan side were the overwhelming favourites heading into the Group E Asian qualifying contest in Saitama.

However, they were unable to find a way past Mahbud, who made a string of top-draw saves to earn Bernd Stange’s men a surprise point.

Japan showcased their superiority in a one-sided first half, but Halilhodzic saw a series of chances go begging with Shinji Okazaki twice denied well by Mahbud.

It was a similar story after the break as Japan peppered the Singapore goal, only for Mahbud to keep them at bay with Okazaki and Keisuke Honda both left flabbergasted by brilliant saves.

Even when Honda did find a way past Mahbud with a long-range free kick, Singapore – who beat Cambodia 4-0 in their opening qualifier – were saved by the crossbar, as the game ended all square.

Japan were dominant in the opening stages and Shinji Kagawa fired the first warning when he turned sharply before forcing Mahbud into a smart save with a 20-yard drive.

Captain Makoto Hasebe then led a swift break and picked out Honda on right, he in turn crossed low to the near post where Okazaki could only clip his shot wide.

The hosts continued to turn the screw and Hasebe’s low shot was saved well by Mahbud, before Kagawa dragged a long-range effort wide.

Mahbud again came to Singapore’s rescue by keeping out Okazaki’s one-on-one effort with his legs after a well-worked move, while Tomoaki Makino glanced a header narrowly wide from a corner.

Japan continued in the ascendancy after the break as Honda bent a right-foot shot wide of the right-hand post.

Mahbud then pulled off his best save of the match in the 55th minute when he clawed away Okazaki’s point-blank header from 10 yards.

Honda was the next to be left shaking his head in disbelief as he met a corner from the right with a powerful header that looked destined for goal before Mahbud flung himself to the right to make a great one-handed stop.

The Milan midfielder did beat Mahbud in the 72nd minute with a superb 25-yard free kick, but this time Honda was denied by the woodwork.

Honda again went close with a curling left-foot shot from the edge of the penalty area in the closing stages, but his shot went wide of the left-hand post as time ran out for Japan.

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