Real Madrid and AC Milan have taken an option to qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League. Madrid and Milan have respectively beaten Chelsea (2-0) and Napoli (1-0), on Wednesday night in the first quarterfinal.
Meetings between Chelsea and Real often offer up some messy scenarios and this Champions League quarterfinal first leg between the two sides was no different. But once again, it was the Madrid team that ended with a smile on their face after a game that seemed to be undecided for a while, before they won (2-0). The Blues had come to Spain with a vengeance after being eliminated at this stage of the competition last season. But once again, the Londoners were punished for their defensive errors by the inevitable Karim Benzema. Vinicius forced Kepa into a save from Carvajal, but the French Ballon d’Or winner followed up like a fox and just had to push the ball into the net
IL FALLAIT QUE ÇA SOIT LUI, KARIM BENZEMA OUVRE LE SCORE POUR LE REAL 💥#RMACHE | #UCL pic.twitter.com/QfUqERCIZ0
— CANAL+ Foot (@CanalplusFoot) April 12, 2023
(21′).
A goal that did not discourage Franck Lampard’s men, who came close to equalizing in the following minutes. But Thibault Courtois was unstoppable against Raheem Sterling (23rd). The duo Rodrygo-Benzema made the Spanish fans shiver (34th and 36th), but the goal of 2-0 was not there. The Blues were still alive and kicked off the second half with a Joao Felix attempt that was once again blocked by Courtois (48th). The two teams went back and forth, but a double blow of fate made the game definitively change in the space of five minutes. Kalidou Koulibaly went off injured with a muscle problem (55th), forcing Chelsea to reorganize their defense. In the following minutes, Chilwell was pushed to the foul, in the position of last defender on Rodrygo, and logically excluded (59th).
In numerical superiority, Real managed the game and assured its success at the beginning of the last quarter of an hour. After a combination of corner kicks, Marco Asensio scored with a powerful low shot (74th). The goal of the break for Real, which flew to a new success. Mason Mount had the opportunity to reduce the gap and to revive the suspense for the second leg, but Rüdiger saved his team with an inspired tackle (90th+4). This gave his team a two-goal lead before the second leg at Stamford Bridge in a week.
Bennacer’s C1 debut, Zambo Anguissa sees red
AC Milan has also taken an option thanks to its victory over Napoli. Far from being favourites at the time of the draw, the Red and Black responded on the field, in front of their public, to win on the smallest of scores (1-0). A victory in the forceps that bears the signature of Ismael Bennacer, positioned in an unusual role just behind the striker, Olivier Giroud. Stefano Pioli’s choice paid off when the Algerian international followed a lightning counter-attack to come and place a powerful left-footed shot that hit the bull’s eye (40th), signing in passing his first goal in the Champions League. A goal just before half-time that stunned the Neapolitans. They were on the verge of a knockout, but were saved by their crossbar on a header from Simon Kjaer following a corner (45th+3).
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Without Victor Osimhen, who has not yet recovered from a thigh injury, the Neapolitans had possession and had chances to score. But Mike Maignan was unstoppable on his line, like in front of Zielinski (16th) or at the very end of the game against Di Lorenzo (87th). In the meantime, Zambo Anguissa had sadly shown himself by collecting two yellow cards in only four minutes (71st and 75th), leaving his partners at 10. This allowed AC Milan to rebalance the debates and to manage the game until the final whistle. With this short victory, they are in a favorable position before the second leg, which promises to be a tough and competitive match at the Diego Maradona Stadium in Naples.
