Former AC Milan head coach Arrigo Sacchi praised Stefano Pioli’s side as they secured progression into the final eight of the Champions League with a draw against Spurs last night.
Milan brought a one-goal lead to north London and were hoping for another resilient defensive performance after the one at San Siro that kept Harry Kane, Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski quiet, and the same resilience is exactly what was on show in north London.
The Rossoneri restricted Spurs to to half chances for the majority of the game, and only twice was Mike Maignan called into action to deny Hojbjerg and Kane. Milan should have put the tie to bed earlier, especially after Cristian Romero’s red card in the final 10 minutes.
Interviewed by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sacchi spoke about Milan’s passage into the final quarter-finals of the Champions League, with his comments relayed by SempreMilan.it.
“Well done to get to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. When they play as a team, they can put anyone in trouble. It’s a well-deserved step over the two games, both for the first leg and for the return leg. They have shown order, compactness, courage. A proof of great personality,” he said.
“A round of applause for the defence. They didn’t give the English an inch and it wasn’t easy with Kane, Perisic, Kulusevski. I was also impressed by Tonali and Krunic. They ran, pressed, tried to counter, fought.
“Giroud? He’s someone who never backs down. He works for the team, for the collective and not for the individual. Leao? He did a little bit, but only at the end. He should have a different temperament, fight more, help the team more.”
