A positive result in the returning leg of the Champions League Quarterfinals with Serie A rival Napoli helped Stefano Pioli’s AC Milan book their ticket into the Semifinals for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
Pre-match Situation
With a 1-0 victory in the first leg in San Siro, AC Milan was more hopeful than ever to return to the Semifinals. Their determination is why Stefano Pioli decided to rest all the starters, except for goalkeeper Mike Maignan, against Bologna this past weekend. The recent matchups between the two teams also favor the Milano side.
Napoli came into the second leg short-handed. Center-back Kim Min-Jae was suspended for receiving adequate yellow cards, and midfielder Zambo Anguissa received a red card and couldn’t suit up. The lucky news for Napoli fans is that Victor Osimhen would be back in action.
The atmosphere before the game was absolutely heated. Napoli fans even threatened Milan’s star Theo Hernandez for making Zambo Anguissa send off the last game. Italian Tifosi is known for its passion. All led to the much-anticipated battle at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Match Summary
First Half
Napoli started quickly and applied pressure on AC Milan’s defense, sending the balls out to the crafty wingers of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Matteo Politano for cut-inside shots. But Milan came prepared as their center-backs Tomori and Kjaer were always present to support their fullbacks. And when Napoli hadn’t found their way to the goal, they were slapped with a trademark counter-attack from the away side, as Mario Rui fouled Rafael Leao inside the penalty area. But lucky for the home team, Alex Meret correctly guessed Olivier Giroud’s penalty and denied the Frenchman.
But the storm did not calm down for Napoli. First, Matteo Politano and Mario Rui went down with injuries in the first half and needed substitution. Luciano Spalletti’s team was already missing several key players. And in the 43rd minute, a phenomenal solo effort from Rafael Leao left the whole Napoli defense behind before he assisted Olivier Giroud to break the deadlock. The pressure kept piling up for Napoli. Victor Osimhen put the ball in the back of the net, but it was waived off for handball.
Second Half
Napoli decided to go all-in in the second half with nothing to lose. The Georgian superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia danced his way into several chances, but his shots all went over the bar. They also had a few opportunities from corner plays that Oliviera misplaced the headers. Of course, Napoli was wasting chances, but we cannot discredit AC Milan’s heroic efforts to protect the goal.
The defensive gameplan of Stefano Pioli was smooth sailing until the 80th minute, a shallow cross from captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo found the outstretching arms of Fikayo Tomori, resulting in a penalty for Napoli. The hopes were back up for the citizens of Naples and the fans of Napoli at home and the stadium. But Kvaradona’s shot was saved by Mike Maignan. The AC Milan goalie is in fine form after the World Cup.
In the last minutes, Napoli managed to grab a goal from an Osimhen header in stoppage time. But it was too late for the home team to create a miracle. Milan wins 2-1 on aggregate. The players and staff rushed to the field in joy as the Napoli players crumbled into tears.
A beautiful football game saw AC Milan returning to the Semifinals again after 16 years when Carlo Ancelotti took them past Bayern Munich in the 2006/2007 season. For the Napoli players, what a journey it has been! They still have the Scudetto to hunt for, and it is looking likely that they will get it.
Other Champions League News
Former AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid defeated Chelsea with a brace from Rodrygo to advance to the Semifinals.
The Champions League will return tomorrow with Bayern vs. City and Benfica vs. Inter.
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