AC Milan stormed into their first-ever UEFA Champions League semifinal in 16 years, following a win over Napoli 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw with the Italian side on Tuesday.
The match will be remembered for the redemption of star striker Olivier Giroud, who first missed a goal but came back with a thunderous goal later. Milan had arrived to the match with a one-goal advantage from the previous leg. But they missed their best chance to double it as Giroud’s spot kick was saved by Alex Meret an hour or so into the match.
Napoli made a quick start with the help of that backing. Maignan stopped straightforward chances from Kvaratskhelia and Piotr Zielinski, while Matteo Politano had two near-post shots miss the AC Milan goal.
Leao was brought down by Mario Rui’s careless challenge to win a penalty, and Stefano Pioli’s team was handed a fantastic opportunity to score their opening goal of the evening. The Rossoneri defence held strong.
