There are teams that have a mystical connection to specific tournaments; they can go wrong in the rest of their competitions, but there is one in which victories are achieved almost with a touch of magic. This is how Milan’s participation in the Champions League: Being the club with the second most trophies in the history of “La Orejona”, it had to demonstrate its authority in the quarterfinal match against Napoli and it did.
He Milan They advanced to the semifinals of the 2022-23 edition with an aggregate score of 2-1 and returned to this instance after 16 years, the same time they have been waiting since they won their last title (2006-07). On that occasion the team had the defense as its most solid part, with figures like Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta; the current squad is taking their example and pushing for victories from the rear.
“I am very proud of this team. We ran for each other with a spirit of sacrifice. When you perform like this, it’s no coincidence that you win, even against great teams like this powerful Napoli”, stressed the captain of Milan, Davide Calabria, after the 1-1 draw at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium in the return game, which was insufficient for Napoli.
Calabria and Theo Hernández, the full-backs, worked to the maximum to block the attacks of Matteo Politano, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and the Mexican Hirving Lozano, who have normally been effective in the Italian soccer season leading Napoli to a leadership that allows them to dream of their first title in more than three decades, but that in the series of quarterfinals of Champions against him Milan they were seen to be inoperative.
Also the Rossoneri central defenders, the Englishman Fikayo Tomori and the Danish Simon Kjaer, who have achieved an exact mixture of youth and experience, showed an impeccable level, blocking all the crosses that sought the shot of the rival scorer, the Nigerian Victor Osimhen. The only play in which they lost control occurred at minute 93 and received the global 1-2, but already with very little room for maneuver for Napoli.
“Congratulations to Milan and also to my players. We have had a great Champions League, we come to these matches a little lacking in bellows and for that we pay for our inexperience”, evaluated Luciano Spalletti, coach of the Neapolitan squad.
He napoli He was looking for his own record in the Champions. This was the first time the team had made it this far by advancing to the quarterfinals but they wanted to continue extending their fairy tale just as they have done in their national tournament. In the end, the talent of Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia and company, which has been praised so far this season, ended up being helpless against the iron brand of Milan.
With this victory, the rossoneros reached an effectiveness of 86% in European series after winning the first leg, remembering the 1-0 that they achieved in San Siro last Wednesday through the Algerian Ismael Bennacer. Already in the return, the scorer of the final goal was the Frenchman Oliver Giroud, who had to redeem himself after having missed a penalty.
The joy on the faces of the Milan players and fans is not in vain. It took the team seven years to return to play the group stage of the Champions League (He did not play it from 2014 to 2021) and even added one more setback when they were eliminated from the first round in 2022, although the revenge was consummated this season at the hands of players without so many international reflectors but effective in moments of pressure, starting with goalkeeper Mike Maignan and ending with young attackers like Alexis Saelemaekers and Rafael Leao.
“I want to continue dreaming like all the Milan players: we want to win the Champions League And we are one step closer to achieving it. We have to try until the end”, exalted Leao, figure of the Portuguese team in the recent Qatar World Cup.
He Milan will meet his rival in the semifinals after Wednesday’s series between his city neighbor, Inter (who is winning 2-0), and Benfica from Portugal, so a Derby della Madonnina in the Champions League could be revived after 20 years, after their last clash also in the semifinals of the 2002-03 edition (which Milan won).
The rossonera institution holds seven titles of Champions League (or European Cup) and, although it is still a long way from the historical first place, Real Madrid (with 14), aspires to obtain its eighth ‘Orejona’ to remain the second most winning club in the tournament and widen its margin compared to Bayern Munich and Liverpool, who have won six.
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