MILAN, April 13, 2023 - AC Milan got their Champions League quarter-final campaign off to a great start in the first leg as Ismael Bennacer’s standing ovation-worthy performance inspired the current Italian Serie A champions to a 1-0 home victory against Napoli, who failed to turn the tables on the night.
Football at its best was on display at the San Siro stadium on a historic Champions League night, exactly 18 years after the last clash between Italian teams at this stage of the competition. With almost 75,000 fans coming from all over Italy, the San Siro trembled for 90 minutes. On the pitch, the players delivered a world class performance in a highly intensed atmosphere: A testament to the energy that Champions League nights bring.
EXACTLY AFTER 18 YEARS It was a historic night not only for the two teams involved but also for the entire Italian football movement. Before tonight, the last time there was an all-Italian clash in the quarter-finals of the Europe's pre-eminent competition was 18 years ago: On this very day, April 12, 2005, Inter Milan and AC Milan clashed in the second leg of their UCL quarter-final tie at the San Siro - after the first leg at the same venue had ended 2-0 in favour of AC Milan.
The game is commonly known in Italy as the “Derby della Vergogna” (the "Shame Derby"): It refers to a match that went down in history due to an unpleasant event. In fact, the game was suspended and then a 3-0 result was declared in the Rossoneri's favour - they were leading 1-0 thanks to Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko's goal - because of an Inter fan that managed to hit AC Milan goalkeeper, Nelson Dida, with a firecracker directly on his head. The Rossoneri, led at that time by the current Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, therefore obtained a direct pass for the semi-finals against PSV Eindhoven.
This time, April 12, 2023 marked a rebirth on an international stage for the Italian football movement, a sign of recovery from which to start again in a complicated moment for the Serie A.
A TREMBLING ATMOSPHERE Bedlam received the AC Milan bus outside the Giuseppe Meazza stadium, with thousands of spectators cheering for the team and setting the tone for the night. Traffic and public transportation in the areas surrounding the stadium were blocked at certain hot moments. In any case, there was no problems with local forces in a spirit of full cooperation with the fans.
Songs and celebrations by both sides accompanied the teams as they stepped onto the field, with the stadium literally rumbling as the Champions League anthem was played behind a choreography that involved all spectators in the stadium. The press stands were decorated for the occasion, being included in the choreography with the red and black colours that surrounded the entire facility.
AC Milan fans display a tifo inside the stadium during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg match between AC Milan and SSC Napoli at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on April 12, 2023 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Napoli fans, however, did not hold back as well: thousands of fans came from south Italy to support the next potential Italian champions. Despite the fact that some trains from Naples to Milan had been cancelled due to technical problems, the stands dedicated to the guests were almost full of people and their excitement. Waving flags and deafening songs accompanied for the entire match the Neapolitan team as well.
SOLD OUT… ALSO FOR JOURNALISTS! The San Siro stands - almost sold out for the occasion with a total income of more than 8 million euros, the second highest income in AC Milan history after the 9.1 million euros generated against Tottenham Hotspurs in the Round of 16 first leg on March 14, 2023, and also the highest amount in a clash between two Italian teams - were quickly filled with fans coming from all over the country to support Stefano Pioli’s team and their efforts to win their first-leg match.
It was a sold-out event also for journalists, who filled the entire media tribune at the San Siro stadium, with new seats for the press created for the occasion, considering the high number of requests. From a journalistic point of view, AC Milan perfectly managed the entire event as usual: From the welcoming stage to the final steps of the event, accompanying journalists with any need they requested, making it an enjoyable experience for the press as well.
90 MINUTES OF EMOTIONS Despite a heavy loss in the Italian Serie A ten days ago against the Rossoneri (AC Milan won 4-0 in the championship clash), Napoli started with high pressure, already putting pressure on their opponents with two shots by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and André Zambo Anguissa in the very first two minutes: the Azzurri tried to take control of the match from the beginning by maintaining high the midfielders’ line.
When Stefano Pioli assured on the eve that it would be a different match than the one in Naples, he was not mistaken. In the early stages, the Rossoneri were clumsy, slow and with no clear ideas of how to overcome the initial Neapolitan pressure Luciano Spalletti’s team, carried out ferociously. At least until the 25th minute, when Rafael Leao’s counterattack almost hit the goal after a 50 metres rush, restoring confidence to the entire Rossoneri team. From that moment on the first half became more balanced until AC Milan broke the deadlock: An enlightening play by Brahim Diaz in the middle of the field initiated another counterattack, this time perfectly managed by Stefano Pioli’s men, who outnumbered Napoli’s defenders and beat Napoli’s goalkeeper, Alex Meret, thanks to a one-touch powerful shot by Ismail Bennacer, perfectly served by the Spanish fantasist from the middle (minute 40).
The decisive goal by the Algerian midfielder and the crossbar hit by Simon Kjaer’s headshot completely restored AC Milan's confidence, which endured for most of the second half. The Rossoneri managed most of the remaining 45 minutes. However, the real turning point of the match came at minute 74: Things went from bad to worse for Spalletti's team due to a second yellow card for Anguissa. Napoli completely reviewed their offensive plans after that, trying to limit the damage for the second leg in Naples next week and organising a final assault to equalise. AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan stood firm in the final minutes with a miracle save against Giovanni Di Lorenzo's shot from a short distance (minute 90), which seemed to be the perfect occasion for the equaliser. The French goalkeeper's several saves had a great bearing on the final outcome of the Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie, as the Rossoneri collected the fifth consecutive Champions League clean sheet.
A FLAMING ENDING With this result AC Milan emerged victorious in the first leg of this historic Italian/European confrontation. However, everything is still on the line for both teams, with the remaining 90 minutes to be played at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples. Luciano Spalletti will have to do without some key players, from Victor Osimhen (who missed also yesterday’s math due to a muscular problem, his conditions for the second leg are yet to be understood) to André Zambo Anguissa and Kim Min-Jae, who received a decisive yellow card that will make him miss the second leg of these quarter-finals.
The Croatian referee Istvan Kovacs faced criticism for the "card-happy" game, according to many Italian media for certain choices he made, especially in the second half. In fact, many criticised him not only for Kim Min-Jae's yellow card but also Rafael Leao's missed yellow card in the first half: The Portuguese forward actually split the corner flag, which is usually punished with a yellow card. Controversies also accompanied Luciano Spalletti’s final thoughts about the match: “I find it unfair, not to have Anguissa available for the second leg against Milan. Any defection is important to us at this season stage, but we have someone who can make up for those shortcomings. What about Leao? Can players kick everything around the field? Now let's go tell the kids that you can do things like this because nothing happens anyway? It is an unsportsmanlike gesture.”
A flaming background for the second leg next week, with an expected Stadio Diego Armando Maradona sold out for a match expected to turn the tables around in Napoli's favour.
