Milan is back among the European aristocracy. It has taken the ‘rossonero’ team, seven times champions of the Old Continent, more than a decade to return to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, a place of honor that it has not been in since the 2011-12 season.
It is far from that flashy team of the early 21st century, but their exercise of tactical control and resistance without excessive suffering against Tottenham in London also serves to be among the eight best in Europe.
Faced with the offensive proposal through the possession of his rival, he chose to slow down the dispute and thus preserve the minimal but precious advantage of San Siro. Well withdrawn, the ‘Rossonero’ team let things go far from their domains but successfully protected the hot spots.
Tottenham
Forster, Emerson (Richarlison, min. 70), Rosemary, Lenglet, Davies, Perisic (Pedro Porro, min. 53), Skipp, Hojbjerg, Kulusevski (Davinson Sanchez, min. 83), Kane and Son.
0
–
0
Milan
Maignan, Thiaw, Tomori, Kalulu, Theo Hernandez, Junior Messias (Saelemaekers, 56 mins), Krunic, Tonali, Brahim Diaz (Bennacer, 81 mins), Giroud (Origi, 81 mins) and Leao (Rebic, mins). 89).
Referee:
Clement Turpin (France). He booked Lenglet, Conte, Thiaw and Skipp. He sent off Romero for a double yellow (min. 78).Incidences:
Second leg of the Champions League round of 16 played at Tottenham Stadium.
The Milanist approach worked. He barely suffered and the truth is that his was the best chance of the first half, poorly resolved by Junior Messias after a great play on the board. Conte twisted the face with Romero and Lenglet, two of his center-backs, reprimanded. Beyond some little dangerous lateral center from Tottenham, with a discreet version of Harry Kane.
The break came between the desperate rush of Tottenham Stadium, whose ardor Milan had smothered with a blow of concrete, with very little to salvage from the first 45 minutes of play. The continuation did not change the pattern too much and in fact it was the Italian champion who had the advantage, first through the skilful Brahim and then through a shot from the exuberant Rafael Leao.
The minutes passed to the despair of the English fans but nothing happened. Absolute merit of Milan’s impeccable exercise of control, which left the dangerous offensive duo formed by Kane and Son in nothing. Not even when Conte threw in the rest with Richarlison, the London team was able to crack the ‘Rossonero’ approach. The Spurs turned upside down without success and the final offensive, weighed down by the expulsion of Romero, only altered the imperturbable rictus of Milan in a header from Kane that was thwarted by Maignan’s great stretch. The bearer of the Scudetto is made of reinforced concrete, without the fantasy of yesteryear, but returns to the European aristocracy.
