AC Milan secures a narrow win against Napoli in the first leg of Champions League quarterfinal: In the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal series, AC Milan secured a narrow 1-0 win against Napoli at the San Siro, giving them a crucial edge heading into the second leg in Naples on April 18th. Despite being the Italian league leaders and one of Europe’s high-flying teams this season, Napoli was unable to find the back of the net without their injured top scorer Victor Osimhen.

AC Milan, on the other hand, absorbed pressure for large stretches of the game and was happy to play on the counter. A big miss by Milan winger Rafael Leao felt like it could prove their undoing, but Ismael Bennacer powerfully finished off a counter-attack just before halftime after great work in midfield from Brahim Diaz.

Napoli’s playmakers Hirving Lozano, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Eljif Elmas were ineffective in finding ways to finish chances and were foiled on multiple occasions by Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan who was fantastic between the sticks.

Napoli midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa was sent off for a second yellow card in the 74th minute, and teammate Kim Min-Jae was shown a yellow card for dissent, meaning that Napoli will miss two key players due to suspension in the second leg. Napoli will need a one-goal victory simply to force extra time if they wish to progress to the next round of the Champions League.

AC Milan vs Napoli Final score