Tottenham

2023 - 2 - 14

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Brahim Díaz gives Milan narrow advantage over Tottenham in last 16 (The Guardian)

An early goal from Brahim Díaz saw Milan defeat Tottenham 1-0 in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie at San Siro.

It was a kick in the guts for Spurs, who have had a few of them in recent times. What was clear as Milan celebrated in front of their fanatics was that the return in London is beautifully poised. The boos when his name was read out were loud and predictable; ditto those for the former Inter player, Perisic, and Dejan Kulusevski, previously of Juventus. Giroud was going nowhere in the middle of the pitch, heading away from goal when Dier pulled him. Rafael Leão, Milan’s shimmering talent on the left wing, was at the heart of them, slinging over a pair of crosses. Conte has craved consistency, a little stability and it was not for nothing on Monday night that he likened life at the club to a rollercoaster. In came Díaz, who shot and it looked as if Forster could be the hero when he threw out his left hand to save. Théo Hernandez got the better of Cristian Romero in an aerial duel and just kept on running up the left, unloading a shot before Dier could get across which forced Forster into a smart parry. For long spells, it did not feel as if they had too much to fear from a Milan team that has struggled on the domestic front since the turn of the year. That they shook their heads clear to produce a performance of calm and control was encouraging. Or the one which [collapsed at Leicester](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/11/maddison-and-barnes-inspire-leicester-to-emphatic-win-over-spurs) on Saturday? The team that outplayed and

AC Milan vs. Tottenham Hotspur - Football Match Report - February ... (ESPN)

Get a report of the AC Milan vs. Tottenham Hotspur 2022-23 UEFA Champions League, Round of 16 football match.

"I expect another tough match in the return leg. "We could have scored a second goal -- we had some clear chances. [Theo Hernandez](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/233621/Theo-Hernández) got the better of [Cristian Romero](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/96970/Cristian-Romero) before powering a shot at Forster who saved well. [Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/159543/Pierre-Emile-Hojbjerg) and injured [Rodrigo Bentancur](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/215772/Rodrigo-Bentancur) in midfield and sidelined goalkeeper [Hugo Lloris](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/43372/Hugo-Lloris) they deservedly ended that run with a tenacious display. [Oliver Skipp](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/261448/Oliver-Skipp) and Pape Sarr, 20, in central midfield, Tottenham did gain a foothold and Son Heung-min's free kick was met with a glancing header by [Eric Dier](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/155532/Eric-Dier) but it went straight at Milan keeper [Ciprian Tatarusanu](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/147969/Ciprian-Tatarusanu). [Harry Kane](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/142200/Harry-Kane) hitting the rebound against the crossbar, although a goal would have been disallowed anyway for offside. [Olivier Giroud](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/88965/Olivier-Giroud) headed the ball back across goal and then Tottenham got another let-off as Thiaw also missed the target with an equally-inviting chance. [Charles De Ketelaere](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/296319/Charles-De-Ketelaere) and defender [Malick Thiaw](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/303444/Malick-Thiaw) both wasting glorious headed chances. [Fraser Forster](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/93193/Fraser-Forster) and the seven-time winners kept the Londoners at bay. [Brazil](/soccer/team?id=205) forward [Richarlison](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/156799/Richarlison) for the last 20 minutes and, while they were unable to avoid a first-ever defeat by Milan, they will head home still hopeful of turning the tie around and reaching the last eight. [AC Milan](/soccer/team?id=103) took a step towards their first Champions League quarter-final appearance for 11 years as [Brahim Diaz](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/246532/Brahim-Díaz)'s goal gave the Italians a 1-0 win over [Tottenham Hotspur](/soccer/team?id=367) in their last-16 first leg at the San Siro on Tuesday. [Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)](/espnplus/schedule/_/type/upcoming/categoryId/119cfa41-71d4-39bf-a790-6273a52b0259/channel/ESPN_PLUS)

Milan tops Tottenham for winning return to CL knockout stage (The San Diego Union-Tribune)

An early goal was enough for troubled AC Milan to edge Tottenham 1-0 in its first Champions League knockout match in nearly 10 years.

Théo Hernandez saw his shot parried by Fraser Forster and Tottenham’s goalkeeper then did brilliantly to claw away Diaz’s effort from the rebound but the Milan midfielder bundled in from point-blank range on the second attempt. Ciprian Tătărușanu, who faced criticism during Milan’s dismal run, pulled off a fantastic double save on the stroke of halftime. It was a miserable return to San Siro for Tottenham manager Antonio Conte, who endured only his second loss against Milan in 15 matches as coach. It hasn’t reached the quarterfinals since 2012. “I’m not disappointed with the performance,” Conte said. “2-0 would have been a better result clearly because we are sure that the return match will be as close, as difficult.

Milan wins drab first leg in round of 16 over Tottenham (World Soccer Talk)

Stefano Pioli finally got the better of Antonio Conte on Tuesday as Milan defeated Tottenham Hotspur at the San Siro. Milan carries the one-goal advantage ...

Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma and the aforementioned Hugo Lloris have potential to be key players in the Tottenham side. [raging injury list](https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/tottenham-injury-crisis-worsens-after-another-player-ruled-out-20230213-WST-419635.html) did no favors to the side. At the center of that was Simon Kjær. [Scudetto-winning side](https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/05/22/ac-milan-win-first-serie-a-title-since-2011/) for Milan last season, found space on the left attacking side. The Danish international played well against Harry Kane, who appeared to be one of the few creating chances for Tottenham. The seven-time Tottenham had more possession after the goal. On the way, it conceded 19 goals over that eight games before that. Entering the tie, Milan won just twice since the World Cup restart. Despite making good contact, Fraser Forster got a big hand to it. Stefano Pioli finally got the better of Antonio Conte on Tuesday as Milan defeated Tottenham Hotspur at the San Siro. It was a cagey affair, with two relatively out of form teams domestically going head to head in Europe’s premier competition.

Diaz fires AC Milan to Champions League win over Tottenham (Yahoo Sports)