Football is this thing here. Being beautiful doesn’t mean being stronger. Milan plays an old-style bolt-on game, in spite of all those who praise Pioli as a player, and they are right against Napoli who attack for the whole ninety minutes and create a lot of chances, but without Oshimen and without strikers they never manage to to sting. One to zero the final result. But on the return beyond the score, the absences of Kim, already cautioned and cautioned, and Anguissa, expelled, will weigh heavily on Spalletti’s men. Of course, game and non-game does not count. The result and the situations matter more. Pioli sorted out his Milan, taking refuge in the three-man defense to launch his arrows into space, from Leao to Diaz and Theo Hernandez, and these three won the match. The goal is thanks to the first two, and the Frenchman’s bucking led to Anguissa’s expulsion. Despite the short-nosed victory, the semifinal for now smiles at an all-Milanese derby. Also because in view of the return, another factor must be considered: Napoli is stronger, Milan is in better shape. And at these levels the second thing matters more.
Milan and Naples have reached the Champions League match, the third meeting of the season, with the forecast completely overturned with respect to the logic of the championship, which sees the absolute domination of the Azzurri with the Rossoneri hanging laboriously in fourth place, 22 points behind the leaders. But Maradona’s slaughter, that surprising 4-0, has too much psychological weight, for better or for worse, to be set aside as a closed chapter. Napoli still have to do without Oshimen, and who knows if they will have him back for the return game in less than 7 days. What’s more, Simeone also stopped – muscle problems, a month off -, Raspadori is back from another injury and Spalletti is forced to play without strikers, with Elmas false nueve. It is an emergency that the Tuscan coach has to face for the first time this season. Pioli, on the other hand, managed to make some of his players catch their breath and can field the same formation that conquered the Fuorigrotta riding mercilessly on the annihilated amazement of the landlords. In these conditions, how can you honestly not consider Milan as favourites?
Even so remodeled Naples, however, fails to betray itself. He attacks the hosts with the same courage and intensity as always and in the first minute Kvara shoots almost safely from inside the small area, Maignan is beaten, but Krunic saves on the goal line. In the 4th minute Anguissa tries with a right footed shot from outside the area, which the French goalkeeper deflects for a corner. But that’s not all: Mario Ruiz and Di Lorenzo’s cross from a good position hits the header well but misses the goal. And while Milan tries to get back up with some counter-attacks, Napoli continues to scare San Siro: Kvara goes away in a serpentine, then exchanges with Elmas and starts a low shot deflected for a corner by Kjaer. Two minutes later Zielinski fired a powerful shot from distance which required Maignan to deflect for a corner. This Napoli is simply heartwarming, beautiful and airy. The first part of the match is a real siege on Milan’s goal: in 15 minutes he has already created five great goal chances. Unfortunately, at least in this initial phase, Oshimen’s absence seems to be paying dearly.
Milan? He’s playing an Italian game, all closed behind looking for some restart, in spite of the game flaunted on the eve. The downtrodden Inzaghi must have gone to school. But it’s a Milan much more catenacciaro than Inter. And his poisonous counter-attack does not seek choral actions as Inter did in Lisbon, but takes advantage of the solitary runs in the empty prairies of Leao and Theo Hernandez, as happens in the 25th minute with the Portuguese who goes away in percussion all by himself, appearing in front to Meret driven by the roar of San Siro: his angled low shot seems to sink to the left of the blue goalkeeper, but goes off to the side, touching the post. After the fourth with a spur, Napoli pulled the oars a bit, but Milan are careful not to take control of the game. He prefers to leave the cue to Napoli, which however is no longer sinking now. It is clear that Pioli has set the challenge only on restarts. And he’s right: deadly counterattack in the 39th minute, Diaz frees himself with a veronica in midfield and unloads on Leao who finds Bennacer launched into the area, a powerful shot and nothing to do for Meret. It’s an unfair result, as far as we’ve seen so far, but in a football match these are concepts that don’t count and they are moreover the excuses of the losers. And after the goal, Milan gained confidence and Napoli reviewed the nightmares of the 4-0 win against Maradona. The end of the first half is all for the Rossoneri, who go close to doubling first with Tonali who sees his shot from di Lorenzo countered and then with Kjaer who hits the post with a header from a scrum from a corner.
The feeling is that the great beauty of Napoli is paying too dearly for the absence of Oshimen who scores 21 goals in the league and 4 in the Champions League. Elmas and Lozano have practically not seen each other and Kvara, constantly doubled by Calabria and Krunic, went in fits and starts and was not as devastating as in his best occasions. The second half begins as the first began, with Napoli besieging the Rossoneri. In the 4th minute Kvara dribbled away and found Elmas, who was finally the centre-forward: Maignan saved by deflecting onto the crossbar. In the 7th minute it was Di Lorenzo who sowed panic in the AC Milan defense and his shot was deflected for a corner. The impression is that the canvas of the first 45 minutes is being repeated, with Napoli building up the game without really being able to sting though. He keeps the defense very high on the midfield line and when Milan manage to pass him it’s pain.
So to stop Theo’s bucking, Anguissa is forced to resort to brusque manners. He gets a yellow card, right, in the 72nd minute and frankly a little too severe another two minutes later: red and expulsion. That the referee is directing the progress of the match can be clearly seen when in the 77th minute he also warns Kim after calling for a foul that didn’t exist: the Korean was cautioned and will miss the second leg. Naples in ten with the prospect of having to face the Maradona challenge without its midfield beacon, Anguissa, and its defense pivot, Kim, and with Oshimen in strong doubts and in any case not at the maximum. Milan understands the disorientation of their opponents and finds the courage they lacked throughout the game. Only that Napoli are close to scoring and twice, in the 86th and 87th minutes. First Maignan miraculously lifts a sudden shot by Di Lorenzo from seven. Then Olivera’s header touched the crossbar. It’s over. Milan won like this, two restarts and nothing else. Now everyone will say that Pioli is great. Bah. Perhaps Spalletti was right when she took it out on Guardiola who had nominated his Napoli for the Champions League. As they well know under Vesuvius they throw certain things at you…