AC Milan beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 at the San Siro to improve their chances of qualifying for the next round of the competition thanks to an early goal by Brahim Diaz.
Diaz opened the scoring in the seventh minute of the match with a close-range header after Tottenham goalkeeper Fraser Foster had saved both Theo Hernandez’s effort and his (Diaz’s) follow-up.
The result means Tottenham will have to outscore the Rossoneri in the return leg that will be played on March 8 at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London to advance to the next round.
AC Milan’s best player on the pitch was winger Rafael Leao who kept Tottenham’s defence busy but they were able to contain him. Antonio Conte’s men settled into the game as it progressed, creating a few chances mainly through set pieces but none of their forwards could capitalize on them.
In the second half, there was a scare on Tottenham’s side that defender Cristian Romero was going to be sent off after his flying tackle against Sandro Tonali but a VAR came to Spurs’ rescue.
In an effort to rescue something from the match, Conte brought in attackers Richarlison and Arnaut Danjuma but none of these caused the AC Milan defence any serious problems and the Italian champions held their nerve and saw through the match.
This was AC Milan’s first win against English opposition in the Champions League knockout stage since 2012.
Even though Tottenham lost, Conte was high in praise for his young midfielders Oliver Skipp and Pape Sarr for their display in a hostile environment that was the San Siro and expects them to hold the fort for him for a while before midfielders Yves Bissouma and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg return from injury.
