AC Milan clinched a place in the Champions League quarter-finals after holding off a lackluster Tottenham to go through 1-0 on aggregate following a goalless draw in the round of 16 second leg Wednesday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Trailing 1-0 in the first leg in Italy, Tottenham offered little to suggest they could turn the tie around, despite manager Antonio Conte again being sidelined after recovering from knee surgery. gallbladder.
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As the home team tried to build some momentum late on, their hopes were nearly dashed with 12 minutes to go when defender Christian Romero they showed him a second yellow card to leave them down to 10 men.
Spurs have now failed to score in their last three games, losing two, in which they have missed out on the FA Cup and Champions League, as well as seeing their Premier League top four hopes take a hit. .
Milan, which is in a similar battle to return to the Champions League next season, has reached the quarterfinals of Europe’s top competition for the first time since 2011-12.
Despite trailing in the first leg, Tottenham showed little urgency in the first half, going into half time without scoring for the seventh time in their eight Champions League games this season.
In fact, with Milan completely comfortable and Spurs lacking in ideas and intensity in possession, neither team managed a single shot on goal in the first 45 minutes.
The only real moment of danger before the break came from a free-kick routine by Milan in the 18th minute that landed junior messiah free to the right of the box only for the full-back to deflect his widely deflected shot.
And it was the visitors who finally had the first shot on goal six minutes into the second half.
The author of the only goal of the first leg, brahim diazmanaged to get past a defender after Messias’ cutback, but fraser forstercontinuing as a substitute for the wounded Hugo Lloris in the Tottenham goal, he knew how to duck and block with his legs.
Tottenham finally began to show some urgency as the game progressed into its final quarter and Pierre Emile Hojbjerg called mike magnan in action for the first time, forcing the Milan goalkeeper to deflect a shot over the bar.
But a hasty challenge from Romero in Teo Hernandez near the touchline produced a deserved second yellow and seemingly the end of Tottenham’s limp challenge.
All seemed lost, only for late drama deep into second-half stoppage time when a Harry Kane header forced a great save from Maignan before substitute Divock Origi made a breakaway effort against the post at the post. other end.
It was too little too late for Tottenham, leaving Milan in the quarter-final draw on March 17.