Following the rather disappointing draw against Empoli, Milan bounced back with a crucial win in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Napoli.
Nobody was expecting the game to be a replica of the 4-0 in Serie A and Napoli looked much better this time out. However, in the 40th minute, Milan managed to take the lead through Ismael Bennacer after a great counter set up by Brahim Diaz and Rafael Leao.
The goal gave Milan a much-needed boost and they continued to attack until the half-time whistle and were very close to a second, but Simon Kjaer was denied by the woodwork. In the second half, Napoli had their fair share of chances but Mike Maignan was great in goal, and the red card helped the Rossoneri see the game out.
Here are five things we learned…
1. Decisive between the sticks
Milan’s defence played an overall good game, but Napoli still had their chances in front of goal. Unfortunately for them, Maignan denied all their efforts and put up a world-class performance showing how crucial he is for Milan, and how crucial a goalkeeper of his level is in general.
In addition to the saves he made, Maignan was constantly involved in the build-up and provided some very nice passes where he managed to beat Napoli’s press. A great shot-stopper and equally good with his feet. Outstanding performance by the Frenchman.
2. Two for two
With Osihmen’s absence the main man for Napoli on the night was always going to be Kvaratskhelia. After successfully keeping him at bay at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona ten days ago, Davide Calabria continued in the same fashion in the Champions League clash.
The captain hardly put a foot wrong and did an excellent job at keeping the Napoli star quiet. He also tried to go forward on multiple occasions and worked really hard, but didn’t really produce much going forward which is probably his only flaw in the game. Keeping Kvaratskhelia, however, is good enough and we won’t judge him harshly on his attacking performance.
3. Napoli’s nightmare
Brahim Diaz was another player that terrorized Napoli in that 4-0 win and he continued to do so at the San Siro, getting the Man of the Match award in both our ratings and by UEFA.
The Spaniard’s fast feet and excellent dribbling allowed him to constantly beat the press and in the 40th minute, he did so effortlessly after leaving Mario Rui and Lobotka for dead and bursting forward to combine with Leao and Bennacer, which led to Milan’s first and only goal.
Diaz has been terrific in big games and he seems to enjoy the fact that the opponents play openly, meaning he can exploit that with his dribbling. Hopefully, we’ll see more of the same in the reverse fixture.
4. Midfield brilliance
The midfield battle was a fierce one and Napoli seemed to have the upper hand in the first half hour, but Milan grew into the game and managed to make the difference. Rade Krunic was crucial in the build-up phase and helped massively in defence whilst also staying calm on the ball and not committing errors.
Bennacer was given more space behind Olivier Giroud, as he had a few nice creative moments where he showed off his technical abilities and scored the only goal of the game (his first in the Champions League).
Sandro Tonali was all over the pitch as he massively helped at the back but also had multiple runs going forward, although he probably could’ve been a bit more focused in the attacking phase, but overall he had a great game.
5. Signs of maturity
And finally, it’s worth mentioning the way Milan approached the game. One year ago, the campaign in the Champions League ended early on for Milan and it was obvious that the team was lacking the maturity and experience in the tournament.
But this year, and against Napoli, Milan have shown to be able to keep their composure in tough situations. They handled the final two games of their group in great fashion and then dealt with Spurs in a fabulous way, keeping four consecutive clean sheets in the process.
Against Napoli, Pioli’s men kept another clean sheet and were calm on the ball, didn’t rush and seemed patient and waited for the opportunity through the 90 minutes. The growth is evident and most of the players are still young so the overall signs are great for the club as a whole as they can only get better.
