Milan 1-0 Napoli: Benaser takes the lead in a satisfying civil war

Milan dominated Napoli again after a 4-0 league win, this time at the San Siro 1-0 for the quarter-finals of the Champions League and took the first step towards qualifying for the next phase.

Ismael Benaser scored the only goal of the game for the ‘Rosoneri’ who were tied with Simon Kjaer. Among the heroes is Mike Meignan, who has featured in many good finals for the Partenopei, who ended the game one man short due to Andre Zambo Angisa’s suspension.

The Cameroonian midfielder and Jae Min Kim will miss Easter Tuesday’s second leg, suspended at Diego Armando Maradona’s side who will decide which team will face Benfica or Inter Milan in the semi-finals.

Stefano Pioli chose players who could both hold and run, while Ismael Benaser and Rade Krunic flanked Braim Diath and Sandro Tonali. At the other end, Luciano Spalletti used Elif Elmas as a false defense in the absence of injured Victor Ocimen, Giovani Simeone and Giacomo Raspadori (he was on the bench but wasn’t ready).

With a minute left, Davide Calabria cleared a shot from Hvitsa Kvaratshelia on the line and Elmas missed the rebound. Before a fourth game was completed, Mike Menian already had two interventions on good shots. Napoli didn’t waste any time in showing their strength in Serie A, except for the match against… Milan a few days ago, when the “Rossoneri” won 4-0 at “Diego Armando Maradona”.

The Neapolitans’ failure to find an important goal emboldened the Rossoneri, who began to exploit the gaps in defence. A counterattack by Rafael Leao warned and in the 40th minute another ended in Benaser’s goal. In fact, Simon Kjaer had a header against the post at the end of the half, at a time that belonged entirely to his team.

The second 45 minutes started like the first, with Napoli foot on the gas and not giving it to the home team. Elvas and Xambo Angisa again tested Menian’s reflexes and Milan’s players couldn’t get out of their box.

The first substitution of the game was aimed at a change of pace, with Alexis Salemakers replacing the tired Benaser. Raspadori came on in the 69th minute for Napoli, who lost their footing within minutes with a pointless shot on target down the middle. Jambo Angisa received two yellow cards in the space of four minutes and was sent off, while Jae Min Kim was also booked and missed his second game in a row.

With a player down and the momentum at the Milan side, Spalletti made a triple change, stealing among others Kvarachelia, who was unable to play to his level for another game against the ‘Rosoneri’ this year.

Two great moments from Matteo Politano and Matias Olivera could have turned the tide of the game but Mengian was once again strong enough to defend Milan’s 1-0 win.

• MILAN: Menian, Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori, Hernandez, Krunic, Tonali, Diath (80′ Rebic), Benacer (67′ Salemakers), Leao, Giroud
• NAPLES: Meret, Di Lorenzo, Rahmani, Kim, Rui (81′ Olivera), Zambo Angisa, Lobotka, Zielinski (81′ Entobele), Lozano (69′ Raspadori), Elmas, Kvarachelia (81′ Politano).

The results of the quarterfinals

FIRST GAMES

• Benfica – Inter 0-2 (51′ Barela, 82′ Penalty Lukaku)
• Manchester City – Bayern Munich 3-0 (27′ Rodri, 70′ Silva, 76′ Haaland)
• Milan – Naples 1-0 (40′ Benaser)
• Real Madrid – Chelsea 2-0 (21′ Benzema, 74′ Asensio)

SECOND GAMES

• 18/04 22:00 Naples – Milan
• 18/04 22:00 Chelsea – really
• 19/04 22:00 Inter – Benfica
• 19/04 22:00 Bayern Munich – Manchester City

The schedule of the semifinals

FIRST GAMES

• 09 or 10/05 22:00 Milan or Napoli – Benfica or Inter
• 09 or 10/05 22:00 Real or Chelsea – Manchester City or Bayern

SECOND GAMES

• 16 or 17/05 22:00 Benfica or Inter – Milan or Napoli
• 16 or 17/05 22:00 Manchester City or Bayern – Real or Chelsea

The program of the final

• 10/06 22:00 Semifinal A – Semifinal B (“Atatürk”, Istanbul)