Real Madrid knocked out defending champions Chelsea (2-0, as in the first leg) to reach the Champions League semi-finals, a form Milan found after sixteen years of absence thanks to their 1-1 draw in Napoli. On Tuesday (1-0 first leg).
In the quarter-finals, a shock looms between Real Karim Benzema and Manchester City, against Bayern (3-0), before returning, Wednesday in Munich. And the Milan derby is taking shape if Inter does not surprise Benfica (2-0 in the first leg) in the San Siro.
AC Milan, meanwhile, have fulfilled their part of the contract, meanwhile, after keeping quiet in Naples’ volcanic Diego Maradona stadium, hosting the C1 quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
The red and black suffered from the start, as if they were choking on the pressure of Naples, but they managed to turn their backs and move forward on the counter, before finding fault through Olivier Giroud (43, 1-0).
The French player’s name appears on the scoreboard, for the fifth time this season in the Champions League, but his goal bears the stamp of Rafael Leao, the decisive pass after a brilliant solitary raid that he launched from his camp.
– Missed penalties –
And the young Portuguese striker had earlier won a penalty kick that Giroud (22) missed in front of Alex Merritt, the Napoli goalkeeper, and he also saved it in front of “Olive” with the leg (28).
Napoli also spoiled a penalty kick from Khvisha Kvaratskhelia (82). Or rather: he was stopped by French goalkeeper Mike Mignan, an expert on the matter.
Al-Tifosi’s enthusiasm was not enough for Napoli, nor was the return of star striker Victor Osimhen, the package in the first leg, the scorer at the end of the match (90 + 3), in vain.
The Azzurri, who were denied suspensions by Andre Franck Anguissa and Kim Min-jae, also had bad luck with Mario Rui and Matteo Politano injured in the first half.
Milan, who ranks fourth in Serie A ahead of Inter, is back in the semi-finals of a major European cup for the first time since 2007, the year in which it won its last title.
For Real Madrid, the most successful club in the tournament (14 titles), this is a habit. “White House” reached the round of four for the third time in a row, and for the eleventh time since the 2010/11 season.
The defending champion, who scrambled at Stamford Bridge, managed to eliminate the English club with a deadly double from Rodrygo (58, 80), thus returning the result of the first leg at the Bernabeu.
The “Blues”, in crisis, could have made the Spaniards doubt but neither N’Golo Kante, with his recovery from the left (11), nor Marc Cucurella, with his shot from the starting point saved by Thibaut Courtois (45 + 1 ), found the fault.
For Chelsea, who are crowned in 2021, it is the last ray of sunshine for a failed season that vanished on Tuesday. A fourth defeat since Frank Lampard’s return to the bench looks like a fiasco for the American owners, the biggest spenders but outside C1 and away from the European places in the championship.
jta/cpb/
