AC Milan have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in eleven years. The Italian football champions drew 0-0 at Tottenham Hotspur in the second leg of the round of 16 and are through thanks to the 1-0 from the first comparison.
When the round of eight is drawn on 17 March, Milan will be back for the first time since the 2011/12 season.
In a tough game, the Londoners around star striker Harry Kane never found their rhythm, shortly before the end Argentina’s world champion Cristian Romero also saw the yellow-red card (77th). The Spurs hardly had any chances to score – the return of team manager Antonio Conte didn’t inspire the Londoners either. The 53-year-old had to have his gallbladder removed in early February, after which Conte recovered in his native Italy.
On his comeback, Conte saw a first half without any notable highlights. Tottenham seemed inhibited in the second half as well, hardly a structured attack rolled in the direction of guest goalkeeper Mike Maignan. Instead, Milan had the great opportunity to score the opening goal – Brahim Diaz (51st) but couldn’t get the ball past Tottenham goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
The Spurs did not become dangerous, they only came to conclusions with individual actions. Pierre Emile Höjbjerg (64th) failed in one of these actions against Maignan. As the game progressed, Tottenham had to increase the risk, which gave the guests room for counterattacks.