Milan boss Stefano Pioli has expressed regret at not taking advantage of the man advantage that the Rossoneri had in the second half of their 1-0 win over Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
The Rossoneri were 1-0 up in the first half, thanks to an Ismael Bennacer goal. But Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa was sent off in the second half, leaving Napoli down to ten men. But despite the advantage, Milan only managed to win 1-0 and even relied on some saves by Mike Maignan to keep the scoreline at 1-0.
After the game, Pioli spoke to Prime Video (via TMW) about the win and he expressed regret about not taking advantage of the extra man on the pitch.
“They got off to a better start than us, we dribbled badly at the beginning, they were more aggressive. Then we had a good game, we regret not using the man advantage at the end. It’s a result that we care about in balance and gives us chances to go through.”
He was also asked about Bennacer’s usage in the game and how Brahim Diaz was used, especially considering the attacking midfielder’s excellent contribution during the goal.
He stated: “Clearly, I tried to use a more offensive player, he [Bennacer] played an excellent game, but he was tired. We tried to put Brahim Diaz between the lines.”
Milan have now never lost even once against an Italian side in the Champions League and have kept five cleansheets. Those are not good signs for Napoli, ahead of the 2nd leg.
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Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN
