Italian press laud AC Milan's performance against Napoli
‘Tasty like a rum baba!’: Italian papers heap praise on AC Milan’s ‘great’ performance against Napoli in the Champions League quarter-final… and laud goalkeeping heroics from France star Mike Maignan in 1-0 win
- AC Milan triumphed over Napoli in their Champions League quarter-final tie
- Stefano Pioli’s side took a 1-0 advantage from their first-leg game on Wednesday
- After the match, Italian press were full of praise for the Rossoneri’s performance
AC Milan were showered with praise from the Italian press after their 1-0 win over Napoli in the Champions League quarter-final, on Wednesday.
Stefano Pioli’s side will take a one-goal advantage into the second-leg, which is next Tuesday, thanks to Ismael Bennacer’s first-half strike for the hosts.
It was a brilliant performance from the Rossoneri, who had been seen as the underdogs in the tie given Napoli’s impressive performances this year.
However, Pioli’s side managed to triumph on the night and, in doing so, earned a lot of praise from national outlets.
Gazzetta dello Sport went with the headline ‘Flashes of Milan’, to show their praise for the side, and had a picture of Bennacer’s celebration plastered on the front.
AC Milan secured a 1-0 win over rivals Napoli in the first-leg of their Champions League tie
Serie A leaders, Napoli, will have to overturn the deficit in the second-leg match next Tuesday
The Italian press were full of praise for AC Milan’s impressive performance against Napoli
Ismael Bennacer’s celebration was plastered across the back-pages of Italian media outlets
The outlet were also quick to pick up on the frustrations of Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti, who had taken issue with the referee’s performance on the night.
Corriere dello Sport, meanwhile, suggested that ‘Napoli hit the Maignan wall’ at the San Siro – after the French goalkeeper’s sensational performance in goal.
The 27-year-old made five crucial saves on the night, including a superb stop in the final moments of the match to deny Napoli full-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
The France star was in inspired form as Milan managed to pull-off the surprise victory over the Serie A league leaders.
Currently, Napoli are 16 points clear at the top of the table and would have been expected to secure a spot in the semi-finals, given their recent form.
However, Milan may be one of the few teams that Spalletti’s side struggle against, especially considering the 4-0 defeat they suffered in the league when they recently faced off.
Finally, Italian outlet Tuttosport suggested that Milan were ‘tasty like a rum baba!’ – which is a French cake but also regularly consumed in Italy.
They wrote that the ‘Rossoneri light up San Siro’ on the night and have to ‘thank Maignan’ for his heroic performance that earned them a clean sheet.
The same outlet also noted ‘Referee makes everyone angry, Spalletti’s team pay for tension: on Tuesday in the second leg they won’t have Anguissa (sent off), Kim and perhaps also Osimhen’.
Spalletti’s side went down to 10 men against Milan after Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa was dismissed for a second yellow card in the second-half.
France goalkeeper Mike Maignan drew praise for his performance in goal on the night
In-form central defender Kim Min Jae will also miss the second leg of the tie, after receiving a yellow card in the tie with Milan.
They will be hopeful of the return of Victor Osimhen, who is the leading goalscorer in Serie A this season.
The Nigerian forward has netted 21 times in 23 league appearances and would’ve been a useful asset last night, had he not be dealing with a muscle injury.
Osimhen, who spoke exclusively to Sportmail recently, has been a target for a number of Premier League teams heading into the summer window.
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