The atmosphere was electric as the Champions League Round of 16 first leg game got underway at the San Siro. AC Milan come out of the gates strong, showing great determination and focus, leaving little room for Tottenham to operate. And just seven minutes in, the Rossoneri make their mark on the scoreboard! Brahim Diaz works his magic, slipping the ball past the Tottenham goalkeeper and sending the home crowd into a frenzy. It’s an early lead for Milan and a promising start to the match.
The Rossoneri demonstrated a clear game plan against the Lilywhites at the San Siro, showing physical and aggressive play that has kept Tottenham at bay for the first 10 minutes. However, the Spurs started to react as they showed signs of pushing for an equalizer.
In the 13th minute, Eric Dier of Tottenham manages to create some space around the penalty spot and jumps high to meet the free kick. He aims to direct his header towards the center of the goal, but Ciprian Tatarusanu expertly denies him, keeping the ball out of the net.
21 minutes into the game, Tottenham are awarded a free-kick on the left-hand side. Son takes it and sends a cross into the penalty area, where Dier once again beats everyone in the air with a header, but the ball goes wide of the goal.
As the game approached the thirty-minute mark, it appeared that AC Milan are still able to hold their own against Tottenham, playing a physical game and trying to keep the spurs at bay. They seem to rely on counterattacking opportunities, particularly on the left flank where Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao are positioned, with the Portuguese, a striker in the starting lineup but occasionally shifting to the left side.
39 minutes into the game, a great acceleration was initiated on the left flank by Theo Hernandez. The Frenchman skipped past Romero, enters the penalty area and looks for Giroud, but Dier clears the cross for a corner kick.
At the 42nd minute mark, a crafty move from Emerson on the right side of the field culminates in a beautiful ball delivered into the box for Son of Tottenham. However, a defensive hero emerges in the form of Saelemaekers, who intercepts the ball with a brilliant diagonal move, and sends it out of bounds, much to the chagrin of the Tottenham supporters. A crucial play in this tense and exciting matchup between two fierce competitors.
Second half starts, and nothing was worth mentioning in the atacking phase. The Rossoneri kept defending and waited for Tottenham while looking out for any counter-attacking chances.
As we approached the hour mark, Rade Krunic from AC Milan made a foul on Tottenham’s player. Sandro Scharer makes the call and Spurs were awarded a free kick from a dangerous position. Can they capitalize on this opportunity? Heung-Min Son steps up to take the free kick, but his cross is well-defended by the opposition’s backline, and AC Milan breathe a sigh of relief.
At the 77th minute of the mach, AC Milan’s boss, Stefano Pioli, decides to make a double substitution, with Alexis Saelemakers and Brahim Diaz making way for Junior Messias and Charles De Ketelaere to come on. An interesting move meant to add some fresh legs and energy to the Rossoneri’s attack.
84 minutes into the game, Ben Davies of the Spurs tries his luck from distance, but his shot failed to cause any trouble to the AC Milan goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu, as the ball ended up in the stands.
89′ and a long through ball by Giroud finds Rafael Leao for a potential counter-attacking opportunity. However, Leao struggles to control the ball and Fraser Forster, the Tottenham goalkeeper, quickly moves forward and catches the ball in front of the Portuguese forward to deny any potential goal scoring chance for the Rossoneri.
