Napoli v Milan Live Commentary & Result, 18/04/2023, UEFA Champions League

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Milan will face either rivals Inter or Benfica in the Champions League semi-finals. Before then, they host Lecce in Serie A on Sunday. On the same day, Napoli look to bounce back as they resume their Scudetto charge away at Juventus.

Milan hold off Napoli with a 2-1 aggregate victory securing their first Champions League semi-final appearance in 16 years. Despite seeing an earlier penalty saved, Olivier Giroud scored what proved to be the decisive goal following Rafael Leao's incredible solo run. Napoli desperately tried to get back into the tie, registering 23 shots on goal, while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's penalty was kept out. But it was not until the 93rd minute that they breached the visiting defence when Victor Osimhen headed in. It proved too little too late and the Rossoneri prevail.

90' + 5' FULL-TIME: NAPOLI 1-1 MILAN (AGG 1-2)

M. Olivera

Yellow Card

90' + 3' Trying to retrieve the ball, Olivera slightly oversteps the mark and goes into the book.

G. Raspadori

Assist

90' + 3' Raspadori brilliantly picked out Osimhen with a precise cross, and Napoli are finally off the mark in this tie.

V. Osimhen

Goal

90' + 3' OSIMHEN!!! Napoli have their goal as their number nine sends a powerful header into the bottom corner. We are set for a grandstand finish at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, but is it too little too late for the hosts?

90' + 1' Kvaratskhelia lifts the ball into the area seeking Ostigard. The latter cannot flick it on, but Maignan has to be alert and push it away to safety.

90' There are going to be four additional minutes at the end of this game. Milan are nearly there.

88' FREE HEADER! Olivera is unmarked once again in the box. But like his earlier effort, the substitute only succeeds in heading wide from close range.

87' The hosts keep pressing and force a corner. But once again, Milan are equal to it and edge closer to yet another clean sheet in this competition.

85' It has just been one of those days for Napoli. The hosts have tried so hard to find a way back into the tie, but the ball has just not gone in for them.

A. Saelemaekers

Rafael Leão

84' Milan make a change with Saelemaekers replacing Leao.

K. Kvaratskhelia

Penalty Miss

82' Kvaratskhelia went to the goalkeeper's right and there was plenty of power in his strike, but Maignan was equal to it.

M. Maignan

Penalty Save

82' SAVED! Kvaratskhelia steps up, but Maignan guesses correctly to deny him!

80' PENALTY TO NAPOLI! The hosts attack and the ball strikes the hand of the sliding Tomori. The referee immediately points to the spot.

78' Milan are also on course to record their third victory over Napoli in the space of a month. Lazio were the last team to beat them three times in a single season, doing so in 1994-95.

76' Napoli had scored at least three times in all four of their Champions League matches on home soil this season. As things stand, that streak will end here.

G. Raspadori

P. Zieliński

74' Zielinski is also sacrificed with Raspadori taking his place.

L. Østigård

A. Rrahmani

74' That was Rrahmani's last action as he is replaced by Ostigard.

74' It just won't go in for Napoli. Another attack culminates in Rrahmani sending a looping header towards goal, but the ball drops the wrong side of the crossbar.

72' The hosts look to turn up the pressure with a series of set-pieces. Zielinski works space to shoot from the edge of the box, but his effort deflects behind for a corner.

70' Napoli still seeking their breakthrough in the tie as we enter the final 20 minutes. The hosts must score twice to level the tie.

D. Origi

O. Giroud

68' After another solid shift up front, Giroud is unable to continue and goes off to be replaced by Origi.

66' Milan looking for a second goal on the day that would probably kill the tie. Tonali sends a free-kick into the box, but Meret fists the ball away.

64' FREE HEADER! Olivera is completed unmarked to meet Kvaratskhelia's corner at the far post. However, he cannot direct his header on target.

E. Elmas

T. Ndombélé

63' Elmas replaces Ndombele for Napoli.

62' Having broken the deadlock earlier on, Giroud registered his seventh direct goal involvement in this season's Champions League. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the last Milan player to record more in a single campaign with nine in 2011-12.

60' Lozano is the latest Napoli player to try his luck. The substitute cuts inside onto his left foot, but can only send his shot over the bar.

Junior Messias

Brahim Díaz

59' Milan make a change with Messias replacing Diaz.

58' After seeing another opportunity go begging, Kvaratskhelia's frustration is evident. Osimhen emphathises and offers encouragement to his team-mate who, in turn, looks to rally the home supporters.

57' OVER! Kvaratskhelia brilliantly gets away from two Milan defenders as he advances into the box. But once again, he is unable to keep his shot down as he blazes over.

55' Milan are on course for a sixth successive Champions League clean sheet. It is the Rossoneri's longest run since going seven without conceding in the 2004-05 campaign. They reached the final that season, famously losing to Liverpool on penalties.

53' Napoli continue to seek a route back into this contest, but another move comes to nothing as the ball runs through to Maignan, who is in no rush to pick it up.

51' Milan will not be taking anything for granted just yet. The Rossoneri do have previous when it comes to surrendering first-leg leads in Champions League knockout ties. They most notoriously saw a 4-1 advantage wiped out by Deportivo La Coruna in the 2003-04 quarter-finals.

49' The hosts are applying plenty of pressure early in the second half, but the Milan defence continues to stand firm.

47' GREAT RUN! Kvaratskhelia embarks on a jinking run into the box, cleverly turning Calabria inside out. However, he shoots over the bar from a tight angle.

46' Napoli get us off and running again in the second half.

Can Napoli respond? They asked plenty of questions during the first half, but were made to pay for not turning their pressure into goals. The hosts must score at least twice in the second half to keep their hopes alive.

Milan have taken a huge stride towards the semi-finals after Olivier Giroud's strike late in a first half that Napoli had dominated. The striker saw a penalty saved, but made amends with a goal that has given the Rossoneri breathing space at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

45' + 8' HALF-TIME: NAPOLI 0-1 MILAN (AGG 0-2)

G. Di Lorenzo

Yellow Card

45' + 7' Di Lorenzo takes out Bennacer and goes into the book.

M. Maignan

Yellow Card

45' + 6' Kvaratskhelia forces Calabria into conceding a corner after a strong run down the left flank. Maignan subsequently tries to run the clock down and is booked.

45' + 4' Milan fail to clear and Osimhen capitalises by firing past Maignan from close range. However, his joy is short-lived as the referee rightly rules the ball hit the striker on the arm before he subsequently finished.

45' + 3' We are halfway through six additional minutes at the end of this first half. A goal for Napoli before the break would certainly boost their hopes of progressing.

T. Hernández

Yellow Card

45' + 1' Tonali goes into the book for a foul on Osimhen.

45' Milan will be relieved they were not made to rue those missed opportunities earlier on. They are now two goals to the good in the tie, making Napoli's task all the more difficult.

Rafael Leão

Assist

43' Leao claims a truly remarkable assist following a wonderful run from deep inside his own half.

O. Giroud

Goal

43' GIROUD!!! 1-0 MILAN! And it's 2-0 on aggregate! Giroud takes the credit, but he is indebted to Leao. Picking up the ball deep in his own half, the winger embarks on a powerful run and weaves through challenges on his way into the penalty area. He then has the composure and presence of mind to square it for Giroud, who makes no mistake from inside the six-yard box.

41' Giroud required attention after receiving the blow to the leg. However, he is fine to continue.

39' The hosts continue to search for the equaliser and the ball almost breaks for Lozano. But Giroud is there to deny him, although the striker takes a whack to the leg in the process.

38' Napoli have been eliminated in each of their last 10 European knockout ties when losing the first leg. You must go back their 1988-89 UEFA Cup quarter-final victory over Juventus for their last such success. Ironically, they also went on to lift the trophy.

36' GREAT TACKLE! Napoli threaten again and swiftly move the ball into the penalty area. It is played towards the onrushing Lozano, but Leao times his sliding challenge brilliantly to deny the substitute.

M. Olivera

Mário Rui

34' Rui is also unable to continue following a couple of earlier knocks. Olivera replaces the defender.

H. Lozano

M. Politano

34' Politano is unable to continue as Lozano comes on in his place.

32' We have a break in play as Politano stays down following an accidental collision with Hernandez. The Napoli forward appears to be in distress as the medical team tend to him.

30' Still goalless as we reach the half-hour mark in this second leg. Milan have had chances to put distance between themselves and Napoli, who will hope to make their opponents pay for not taking them.

28' CHANCE! Allowing the ball to roll across his body, Giroud cleverly loses Rrahmani and generates space to shoot. But Meret produces a smart reflex save to deny him.

26' Napoli work the ball neatly down the right flank. Di Lorenzo joins in the attack and pulls it back to the edge of the box, where Zielinski shoots straight at Maignan.

24' How crucial will that penalty save prove to be? Had Giroud scored, Milan would have had breathing space and it could have taken the wind out of Napoli's sails.

O. Giroud

Penalty Miss

22' Giroud stepped up and went for placement to the goalkeeper's left. However, it was a nice height for Meret to dive across and keep out.

A. Meret

Penalty Save

22' SAVED! Meret guesses correctly to deny Giroud from the spot!

21' PENALTY TO MILAN! Rui catches Leao late in the box following a swift Milan counter. The referee shows no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

20' Similarly to his previous effort, Politano cuts from the right and shoots with his left foot. But once again, his attempt is wide of the near post.

17' The hosts are not in the greatest of form, winning just one of their last four matches. That includes a thumping 4-0 defeat by Milan here at the start of the month.

15' Napoli have been very much on top inside the opening quarter of an hour. Although the time is on their side for now, they will want to level the tie as soon as possible.

13' Cutting inside onto his left foot, Politano lets fly from the edge of the penalty area, but his effort is wide of the target and not troubling Maignan.

11' Milan having to maintain their concentration levels as Napoli come again. The Rossoneri are not going to roll over, but cannot afford to sit back too much today.

9' Napoli have their tails up as they threaten to level the tie. Kjaer has to be alert to head a dangerous centre away to safety.

7' The hosts enjoy a lengthy spell of pressure with a succession of set-pieces. But Milan stand firm as they look to weather the storm.

5' An early opportunity for Napoli, who are awarded a free-kick when Tonali fouls Kvaratskhelia. Rui's delivery deflects behind for a corner. Can they build on this pressure?

3' Milan enjoying plenty of possession inside the opening minutes as they look to establish early control on proceedings.

1' Referee Szymon Marciniak blows his whistle and Milan get the second leg under way.

The teams make their way onto the field and will observe the iconic Champions League anthem. We are almost ready to go at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

We are just over five minutes from kick-off in this second leg. Will seven-time winners Milan advance to a first semi-final since their most recent triumph in 2007? Or can Napoli recover to extend their best ever run in the competition?

Meanwhile, after making 10 changes for Saturday's draw with Bologna, Stefano Pioli reverts to the exact Milan XI that started the first leg. That includes a recall for the instrumental Leao, who has completed a tournament-best tally of 18 dribbles during the knockout stages.

Luciano Spalletti makes four changes from the first leg. Two of them are enforced with the suspended Kim Min-jae and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa missing out in defence. They are replaced by Jesus and Rui. Osimhen and Ndombele also return with Lozano and Elmas dropping to the bench.

SUBS: Antonio Mirante, Fode Ballo-Toure, Ante Rebic, Pierre Kalulu, Alessandro Florenzi, Divock Origi, Malick Thiaw, Junior Messias, Tommaso Pobega, Matteo Gabbia, Alexis Saelemaekers, Charles de Ketelaere.

MILAN (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Davide Calabria, Simon Kjaer, Fikayo Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Rade Krunic, Sandro Tonali; Brahim Diaz, Ismael Bennacer, Rafael Leao; Olivier Giroud.

SUBS: Hubert Idasiak, Pierluigi Gollini, Eljif Elmas, Hirving Lozano, Mathias Olivera, Bartosz Bereszynski, Leo Ostigard, Gianluca Gaetano, Giacamo Raspadori.

NAPOLI (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Mario Rui; Tanguy Ndombele, Stanislav Lobotka, Piotr Zielinski; Matteo Politano, Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Milan are 1-0 to the good at the midway point of this all-Italian tie. Ismael Bennacer's first-half strike in last week's first leg at San Siro separates the sides.

Hello everyone and welcome to live text coverage of the Champions League quarter-final second leg between Napoli and Milan at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Napoli v Milan Live Commentary, 18/04/2023

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