Milan draws against Tottenham and returns to the Champions League quarterfinals after more than ten years

After 11 seasons without reaching the Round of 16 of the Champions LeagueO Milan stamped its spot in the quarterfinals of the tournament by drawing with Tottenham this Wednesday. The Italians visited the English at Tottenham Stadium and left with a goalless draw, which guaranteed their classification on the aggregate scoreboard, as they won the first leg by 1-0.

Packed with a sequence of six games without losing, Milan now awaits the conclusion of the round of 16 to know its opponent in the next phase. The team’s next commitment will be at Italian Championshipagainst Salernitana, on Monday.

The English, on the other hand, equaled the campaign made in their last participation in the Champions League, in the 2019/2020 season, when they fell in the round of 16 after being defeated by RB Leipzig. Tottenham returns to the field on Saturday to face Nottingham Forest, at home, for the 27th round of the Premier League. In the competition, the team ranks fourth, with 45 points.

See you again soon, @ChampionsLeague 😏#TOTACM #UCL #SempreMilan@oppoitalia pic.twitter.com/zZAdKxyNAY

— AC Milan (@acmilan) March 8, 2023

The game

In search of the result, Tottenham went after Milan from the beginning of the match. At 11 minutes, the English attacked well and Emerson Royal managed to finish from the edge of the area. The kick was dangerous, but it was muffled midway and it was easy for Maignan to save.

Milan went close to the goal in the 17th minute, when Junior Messias tried a cross shot. The midfielder ended up sending it to the left of Forster’s goal. The owners of the house offered danger again at 34, with Harry Kane. The Tottenham captain tried to finish from inside the area and had a deflection in the Milan defense, but Maignan was attentive and managed to defend with his feet.

In the second stage, Tottenham started to press even more. Milan, on the other hand, took the opportunity to set up counterattacks. Despite having possession, the English did not have many clear chances to score, most of which stopped in Maignan’s defenses or in the very inefficiency of their attackers.

At 5, the Italians came close to opening the scoring. Bahim Díaz invaded the area and, from very close range, tried to touch Forster’s exit, but the goalkeeper grew and made a beautiful save to save Tottenham.

Things got even more complicated for the hosts at 33. Cristian Romero, who already had a yellow card, gave Theo Hernández a violent tackle and received his second yellow card. With one player less, the English continued to press. In the final stretch, Tottenham came very close to scoring. In the 47th minute, Son took a free-kick into the area and Kane climbed high to head home. Maignan threw himself on the ball and managed to make an incredible save.

Then, at 48 minutes, Milan set up a quick counterattack and Origi came out in front of the goal. The attacker took it well from Forster, but the ball exploded on the crossbar and returned to the goalkeeper’s hand on the rebound.