Milan vs Napoli score, result, highlights as Bennacer goal gives Rossoneri Champions League edge

Kyle Bonn

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Milan vs Napoli score, result, highlights as Bennacer goal gives Rossoneri Champions League edge image

Italian league leaders Napoli, one of Europe’s high-flying teams this season, have suddenly been backed into a corner by a bogey team they just can’t shake.

A goal against the run of play by Ismael Bennacer gave AC Milan a 1-0 win at the San Siro in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal series with the second leg set for April 18 in Naples. And while that single-goal deficit won’t shake Napoli, they have significant adversity to overcome.

Without injured top scorer Victor Osimhen, Napoli were able to create chances but they couldn’t find anyone to put the ball in the back of the net, proving wasteful throughout the first leg. Milan, meanwhile, absorbed pressure throughout for large stretches, happy to play on the counter.

A big miss by AC Milan winger Rafael Leao felt like it could prove their undoing, but Bennacer powerfully finished off a counter-attack just before halftime after great work in midfield from Brahim Diaz.

Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti made the big call to play with a false nine in Osimhen’s absence, but his playmakers Hirving Lozano, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Eljif Elmas were ineffective in finding ways to finish chances. They were foiled on multiple occasions by Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan who was fantastic between the sticks.

Napoli midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa was sent off for a second yellow card in the 74th minute, and another yellow card shown to teammate Kim Min-jae for dissent means that Napoli will miss two key players for the second leg due to suspension, needing a one-goal victory simply to force extra time.

AC Milan vs Napoli final score

  1H 2H Score
AC Milan 1 0 1
Napoli 0 0 0

Goals:
40th min — ACM — Ismael Bennacer

Starting lineups:

AC Milan (4-2-3-1, right to left): 16. Maignan (GK) — 2. Calabria, 24. Kjaer, 23. Tomori, 19. T. Hernandez – 33. Krunic, 8. Tonali — 10. B. Diaz (Rebic, 80'), 4. Bennacer (Saelemaekers, 67'), 17. Leao — 9. Giroud.

Napoli (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Meret (GK) — 22. Di Lorenzo, 13. Rrahmani, 3. Kim, 6. Rui (Olivera, 82') — 99. Anguissa (sent off, 74'), 68. Lobotka, — 11. Lozano (Raspadori, 69'), 77. Kvaratskhelia (Ndombele, 82'), 20. Zielinski (Politano, 83') — 7. Elmas.

AC Milan vs Napoli live updates, highlights, commentary

Final: AC Milan 1-0 Napoli

The hosts have grabbed the early advantage, and while Napoli will be somewhat comfortable heading home with just the one-goal deficit, a closer look sees them in real trouble.

Napoli, behind on aggregate, will now be missing Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Kim Min-jae, two very important players, for the second leg. It also remains to be seen whether or not they will get striker Victor Osimhen back from injury, and today's proceedings made clear how important he is to the squad.

This will be a big mountain for Luciano Spalletti's side to climb, and AC Milan will no doubt look to defend their advantage in the second leg next week. It sets up a mouth-watering 90 minutes at the Stadio Diego Maradona on April 18.

90+3 min: There's a scuffle as Alexis Saelemaekers and Amir Rrahmani get into a face-to-face heater. Both are booked, although it seems harsh on the Milan winger as Rrahmani was clearly the aggressor there. Maybe a make-up from Kovacs, although it won't make Napoli feel better about the officiating on the whole. Rrahmani will want to keep it together lest he be sent off and leave his side without another player for the return leg.

90th min: Five minutes of stoppage time are given. Napoli are pressing exceptionally high, and it's helped them win the ball in dangerous areas and mitigate their disadvantage.

87th min: Chance, Napoli! Napoli are pushing for an equaliser even with a man down, but have been thus far repelled, both from open play and set pieces. Then suddenly a whipped cross out of nowhere forces a fabulous save by Milan 'keeper Mike Maignan on a shot by Giovanni Di Lorenzo!

In the aftermath, Napoli's Mathias Olivera has a free header on a vertical delivery, but he makes a meal of it. Napoli have been so wasteful, and Maignan has been exceptional!

81st min: Both sides make changes. For Napoli, it's Mathias Olivera entering for Mario Rui at left-back. Tanguy Ndombele also comes in for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia who was poor in this game, while Matteo Politano replaces Piotr Zielinski.

AC Milan bring on Ante Rebic to replace Brahim Diaz, the goal creator.

79th min: Now Kim Min-jae is booked for dissent after committing a foul, which means he will be suspended for the second leg. It's really getting out of hand from the referee Kovacs. He's letting the heat of the venue get to him.

74th min: RED CARD TO NAPOLI! Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa is sent off for a second yellow card!! He goes to meet the ball with a very high boot that does make contact with the ball but also strikes Theo Hernandez right in the chest. That's a HUGE loss for Napoli, as Anguissa not only leaves his side a man down for the final 15 minutes, but also without a main midfielder for the second leg.

In truth, it's a pretty soft second yellow, but Anguissa can't be throwing his boot into that position knowing he's on a yellow card. Well won by Hernandez. Still, Napoli will be fuming at how this match has been officiated.

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71st min: Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa is booked for a foul on Theo Hernandez.

Napoli are frustrated that a foul was not called on a challenge by Hernandez moments earlier on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Giovanni Di Lorenzo gets booked for dissent instead. In truth, the refereeing in this match has been significantly one-sided in favour of the hosts.

69th min: Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa has a hit from space outside the top of the penalty area, but the attempt hits teammate Hirving Lozano on the way through and deflects well wide.

Finally, Luciano Spaletti makes a change he may regret not making sooner, with Giacomo Raspadori entering and Hirving Lozano going off. Surprising that the Mexican is withdrawn, as Eljif Elmas and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have both been quieter.

67th min: Milan make the first change of the match, replacing the booked goalscorer Ismael Bennacer with Alexis Saelemaekers, who tormented Napoli off the bench in their fixture over a week ago.

61st min: Ismael Bennacer gets booked for clipping the ankle of Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, the first yellow card for AC Milan and second of the match overall.

57th min: AC Milan again have kept Napoli at bay, allowing them to possess the ball but to very little effect. Luciano Spalletti continues to lose his mind on the touchline, wanting his team to pick up the pace. He has a few harsh words for the referee as well regarding Milan's physicality.

53rd min: Napoli are piling on the pressure as they get a fourth successive corner. After three deep deliveries, it's taken short, and eventually Piotr Zielinksi's looper is collected by Mike Maignan before it can reach an attacker at the far post. The visitors continue to turn the screws, but remain unable to finish. Have to wonder at this point when they'll bring on Giacomo Raspadori.

50th min: Chance, Napoli! The visitors come close again, as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's lofted cross from deep finds the head of Eljif Elmas a good distance out, but he loops it high and over Mike Maignan. The Frenchman has to scramble back and barely touches it over the crossbar. That was not far from being an extraordinary goal!

Kickoff: The second half is underway, with Napoli needing to find an equaliser to bring them back level and match the scoreline to the performance. Halftime was big for Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti to allow them to regroup, as they kind of fell apart after Milan's opener.

The start of the half features a false start! Referee Istvan Kovacs has them go again.

Halftime: AC Milan 1-0 Napoli

Napoli were the better side through most of that first half, but they couldn't capitalise on their early chances and faded as the half dragged on. AC Milan missed a big chance with the Rafael Leao counter, but they found the moment to go in front and nearly added a second.

The visitors, without their talisman striker Victor Osimhen, must improve in the final third if they wish to draw level and go back to the Maradona with the match in the balance.

45+3 min: Chance, AC Milan! A FREE HEADER BY SIMON KJAER HITS THE CROSSBAR, COMES DOWN, AND DOES NOT CROSS THE LINE! The San Siro erupts, but Istvan Kovacs points to his goal-line technology watch to say the ball did not cross the line entirely! AC Milan have finished this half in explosive fashion!

44th min: Theo Hernandez is left in a heap after a Hirving Lozano challenge, and AC Milan continue without him in the attack for some time until Rafael Leao puts the ball out of play. Stefano Pioli is furious with the official, and is booked for his protests. It's kind of ridiculous for him to be arguing, as if anything the refereeing has been favoured towards his side so far.

40th min: GOAL! MILAN! It's a BULLET counter started by Brahim Diaz, and with some delicious one-touch passing at the top of the penalty area, it falls to Ismael Bennacer who finishes with a THUMPING hit to Alex Meret's near post.

The turn by Diaz to touch the ball into Bennacer's path is truly world class, and the hosts have taken a massive first-leg advantage!

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38th min: Piotr Zielinski is shown the game's first yellow card as he hacks the shin of Rade Krunic. That might be payback for the last challenge, but the Polish international is punished for it. Napoli will be frustrated with the refereeing in this match, but in a vacuum, Zielinski can't be too upset with that call.

35th min: Play is stopped as Olivier Giroud takes a heavy follow-through from the hip of Kim Min-jae, and needs treatment on the ground. He takes a long time, but gets himself together and gets off the field under his own power. He's moving very gingerly.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic did not dress for this game, so Milan will need Giroud to retake the field lest they dip deeper into the squad. Divock Origi would be the natural choice if needed, but it seems Giroud will be ok to continue for now.

33rd min: Piotr Zielinski is pummeled by Rade Krunic, left in a heap on the turf. The referee Istvan Kovacs gives the Bosnian a talking to, but ultimately does not book the Milan midfielder who points out how it was his first foul. The official has let a lot go so far early in this match, but Krunic likely has used up his leash with that single one.

29th min: Napoli have a good opportunity to break, with Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa on the ball through the middle and numbers going forward, but the Cameroonian plays it out of touch, misplacing his safe pass wide to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, behind its target. He had other, better options but took the safe play and still botched it.

Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti is beside himself on the touchline, angrily throwing an imaginary clipboard to the ground. The Napoli boss has been demonstrative so far!

25th min: Chance, AC Milan! HOW DID RAFAEL LEAO MISS?!? The Portuguese star goes nearly the length of the field all by himself with two defenders in his wake, and just has to get it by Alex Meret, but he skids his shot agonizingly wide! He hit that horribly, and it slow-rolled wide of the right post.

In his frustration, Leao kicked the corner flag and shattered it into a million pieces, but wasn't booked for it. Manager Luciano Spalletti is absolutely incensed, and play is halted while the mess is cleaned up and a new flag is brought in.

24th min: There's a bit of a lid on the match now, with Napoli filtering the ball around and killing off large spells of possession without really doing much. That's clearly by intent, as they would love to keep this game low-scoring and get back home in the second leg with it all still in front of them. If this becomes a track meet like last week, it will go against them.

18th min: Milan look a bit rattled. The hosts have a good chance to break as they generate a turnover with Napoli caught really high, but Sandro Tonali's pass is well off its mark before they even reach midfield and the chance evaporates. They have to take those opportunities when being swarmed by the opponent.

11th min: Chance, Napoli! What a hit from Piotr Zielinski, forcing Mike Maignan into a big save! The Frenchman tips the ball over the crossbar, and gives Napoli their third corner. It's headed out by a defender for a fourth, which ends up in a shot that harmlessly loops over Maignan's goal onto the top netting, even if awkward for a moment.

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9th min: AC Milan have gained a bit of a hold in this game after Napoli's hot start. Still, they've had very little moving forward.

So far, for Napoli up front, it's been mostly Eljif Elmas through the middle up front, flanked by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Hirving Lozano out wide. We'll see if that changes with fluidity throughout. A shot from Kvara deflects wide for a second Napoli corner in the opening 10 minutes.

4th min: Now Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, formerly of Fulham, who has a hit from distance, but its deflected out for a corner. Napoli take it short, and it gets sent on to the head of Giovanni Di Lorenzo who guides it goalward but it floats just high. A really bright start for Napoli! Can they cash in?

1st min: Chance, Napoli! What a start for Napoli! An attack down the right flank comes across the penalty area and completely throws Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan for a loop. He is all over the place, but somehow none of the three Napoli attackers in the area can direct the ball on goal!

Rade Krunic was the Milan defender who had the biggest influence on keeping Napoli out, but overall, that's a huge early let-off for the hosts!

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Kickoff: The match is underway at the San Siro! Napoli's first Champions League quarterfinal ever, while AC Milan are back here for the first time in 11 years. One of Europe's most highly-regarded referees, Istvan Kovacs gets us rolling!

AC Milan vs Napoli: Pre-match commentary, analysis, stats, and more

18 mins to kick: Prior to the 4-0 defeat to Milan over a week ago, Napoli actually had a perfect record without Victor Osimhen this season, and even racking up a slightly higher goals per match count than with him on the field. This club is still immensely talented at both ends of the field, and remain heavy betting favourites to qualify for the quarterfinals (currently at 1/2).

Still, Luciano Spalletti's decision to use a false nine for really the first time all season is a surprising and risky move.

34 mins to kick: There's still over a half-hour to go before this match, and the San Siro is electric already! What an atmosphere in Milan!

47 mins to kick: In the absence of a true striker, Napoli will be hoping that wide players like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia can conjure up the memories of club legend Diego Maradona who scored some pretty spectacular goals against AC Milan in the past.

65 mins to kick: The lineups are out a little early, and there's a serious wrinkle for Napoli. Instead of starting Giacomo Raspadori at striker with both Victor Osimhen and Gio Simeone out, Luciano Spaletti has opted for an additional midfielder in Eljif Elmas, meaning that either Hirving Lozano or Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, or maybe even Elmas, will play as a False 9. Very bold from Spaletti, and likely to keep a lid on the match and have it remain low scoring.

AC Milan, meanwhile, start exactly as expected, with Rafael Leao and Brahim Diaz flanking Olivier Giroud up front. Alexis Saelemaekers, who tore Napoli to shreds off the bench a week ago, starts again amongst the substitutes.

80 mins to kick: As Mina Rzouki of BBC and Sky Sports states below, there’s an interesting wrinkle to AC Milan’s setup this season, coinciding with the return of goalkeeper Mike Maignan from injury, allowing the Italian side to play a way that best suits their personnel. Still, the results have been just as spotty with Maignan in goal than without, as they won nine of the 16 league games he missed, but have won just two of six since his return.

For so long Milan have felt the absences of Kessie but with a 3 man midfield, they can dominate.

With Bennacer playing further ahead, Milan ensure quick circulation of the ball and another creator up top who can also work wonders by stopping the opposing creator…

— Mina Rzouki (@Minarzouki) April 12, 2023

102 mins to kick: Milan and Napoli have played 171 times previously across their history, but this will be the first time they ever match up in the highest level of European competition.

AC Milan have the historical advantage, having won 68 of the meetings, compared to 52 draws and 51 defeats, but they've won just three of the last 10 matchups, losing four and drawing three.

120 mins to kick: One thing Napoli can expect from AC Milan today is that the hosts will play with significant width. Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao use their on-ball skills to slice up the left flank, which means Hirving Lozano and Giovanni Di Lorenzo will have significant defensive responsibilities.

There's no reason Napoli won't be ready for this. They saw Milan attack nearly 45 percent of the time down the left side of the field, according to Opta statistics. Leao has completed the fourth-most dribbles (89) of any player in the top five European leagues this season.

AC Milan vs Napoli lineups & team news

AC Milan have very few injury concerns to worry about. Brahim Diaz, Rafael Leao, Simon Kjaer, and Olivier Giroud were all rested over the weekend, but are all fit to start this game.

The only regular starter on the sidelines is defender Pierre Kalulu who has missed two straight league games with a calf injury, although he did do some light training on Monday and even he passes a late fitness test to make the bench. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 41, has been slow to return fully from his injury troubles, and after missing the weekend match, he is still not training fully with the squad.

AC Milan confirmed starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan (GK) — Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori, T. Hernandez – Krunic, Tonali — B. Diaz, Bennacer, Leao — Giroud.

AC Milan subs (12): Mirante (GK), Kalulu, Gabbia, Thiaw, Ballo, Florenzi, Pobega, De Ketelaere, Messias, Rebic, Saelemaekers, Origi.

The news on Victor Osimhen was pessimistic all week, and the fears were confirmed just 24 hours before the match. The Nigerian striker has been ruled out, having trained alone on Monday. It feels like he will be back soon, but this match comes just a bit too early for him to see the field.

Osimhen was thought to be Napoli's only injury concern, leaving Luciano Spalletti with an otherwise full squad to choose from, but in the final days before the match Giovanni Simeone cropped up with a quad injury. It was thought that Giacomo Raspadori would therefore fill in up front at the striker spot, but instead, midfielder Eljif Elmas enters, leaving Hirving Lozano or Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as a False 9.

Napoli confirmed starting lineup (4-3-3): Meret (GK) — Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Kim, Rui — Anguissa, Lobotka, lmas, Zielinski — Lozano, Kvaratskhelia.

Napoli subs (10): Gollini (GK), Idasiak, Olivera, Ostigard, J. Jesus, Bereszynski, Ndombele, Gaetano, Politano, Raspadori.

How to watch AC Milan vs Napoli

MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with fuboTV in USA

  Date Time TV channel Streaming
USA Wed, April 12 15:00 EDT — Paramount+, ViX, ViX+
Canada Wed, April 12 15:00 EDT — DAZN
UK Wed, April 12 20:00 BST BT Sport 2 BT Sport site/app
Australia Thu, April 13 05:00 AEST — Stan Sport
New Zealand Thu, April 13 07:00 NZST — Spark Sport
India Thu, April 13 00:30 IST Sony TEN 1 JioTV, Sony LIV
Hong Kong Thu, April 13 03:00 HKT beIN Sports Xtra beIN Sports Connect
Malaysia Thu, April 13 03:00 MYT beIN Sports Xtra beIN Sports Connect
Singapore Thu, April 13 03:00 SGT beIN Sports Xtra beIN Sports Connect

AC Milan vs Napoli betting odds

Napoli are considered only slight road favourites for this match, considering they were recently defeated by AC Milan in league play. However, in that 4-0 Milan win, Napoli had little to play for, and a tighter contest is expected this time.

Still, AC Milan are given a chance at home against a team that has largely steamrolled much of Europe en route to a scudetto and Champions League quarterfinal place.

The betting market is favouring the under 2.5 total goals as scoring is thought to be at a premium. The likely absence of Napoli's top scorer Victor Osimhen is probably a factor in that, as are Milan's struggles in front of goal and their consequent defensive nature.

  AC Milan
win		 Draw Napoli
win		 Both teams
to score Y / N		 Over / Under
2.5 goals		 NAP
-0.5		 MIL
+0.5
BetMGM
(USA)		 +175 +220 +155 -125 / -115 +105 / -145 +145 -210
Sports
Interaction
(Canada)		 +184 +229 +140 -132 / -118 +106 / -142 +150 -196
SkyBet
(UK)		 7/4 9/4 8/5 4/5, 10/11 11/10, 4/6 — —
Neds
(Australia)		 2.80 3.10 2.60 1.83 / 1.87 2.15 / 1.67 — —
Dafabet
(India)		 2.74 3.16 2.57 1.83 / 1.91 2.14 / 1.71 2.55 1.51

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.