Pioli didn’t mince words after the match against Napoli: Everyone thought we were underdogs, but the boys put their heart into it! We want to go even further, he says

AC Milan’s footballers survived yesterday’s Champions League quarter-final rematch with Napoli and, after 1-0 and 1-1, advanced to the semi-finals of the millionaire competition for the first time in a long time. How did the Rossoneri coach Stefano Pioli evaluate the rematch and indeed the entire double-header?

The Rossoneri have had three successful matches against Napoli. First, they won the domestic competition with a crushing 4-0 victory at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, then they won 1-0 at the San Siro in the opening Champions League quarter-final.

Ismaël Bennacer scored the only goal for the Red and Blacks in the 40th minute when, after a pass from Rafael Leão, he successfully completed a run that had been set up brilliantly by Brahim Díaz in the early stages.

AC went into the rematch knowing that it would still be very open as far as progression to the next stage was concerned. Napoli created the opening 20 minutes of pressure, but after that the Rossoneri also had several chances to score.

One of them, for example, was a penalty kick that was not converted by Olivier Giroud. Later on, the game became disjointed due to injuries to Napoli players and coach Luciano Spalletti had to substitute Matteo Politano and Mario Ruia.

However, in the final minutes of the first half, Rafael Leão went on a stunning solo run, serving the ball to the French striker as if on a golden platter in the final stages and he made no mistake.

In the second half, Stefano Pioli’s charges decided to play mainly from a secure defensive position, not letting Napoli do anything and eventually relying on the break. And it worked in the end, although after Leão’s foul the home side probably should have kicked a penalty.

However, one was not converted by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and the Partenopei threw away other chances in the match. Except for the one in stoppage time, when Victor Osimhen scored. In any case, Napoli were no match for AC in this double header and are out of the Champions League.

Pioli

How did coach Pioli react to the last game? The AC Milan manager praised the combativeness and commitment of all the players. He also explained why the Rossoneri played in such a cloudy manner, especially in the second half, and also commented on their potential opponent in the semi-final.

“Napoli will deservedly win the Italian title, which makes this promotion all the more valuable for us. The opponent gave us a lot of problems in both games, but my players fought, gave their hearts and believed until the end,” Pioli said in a post-match interview.

“Everyone called us underdogs, but I coach a team with a lot of heart. We gritted our teeth and suffered, it’s a deserved and deserved promotion. Congratulations to the boys,” he continues.

“It was because of Osimhen that we decided to play from a deeper block, so he wouldn’t have so much space. Of course, we could afford to do that considering the 1:0 lead from the first game,” explained the AC coach.

“Judging by the result of the first match, it looks like a derby. Whatever the outcome, it will be another two amazing duels in the Champions League. We are doing great so far and we want to go even further. We are happy for our fans, who have always supported us even when things were not going well. We are proud of them,” he concluded.

Sources: AC Milan, UEFA Champions League