AC Milan came out on top in the battle of the narratives with Napoli in the Champions League quarter-finals - and now need neighbours Inter to finish their half of the job.
Olivier Giroud struck late in the first half to make up for his earlier penalty miss after the Rossoneri had looked vulnerable to being swalloed in the manic Stadio Diego Armando Maradona atmosphere. Instead, they held firm and saw out the late threat of a Neapolitan miracle to reach the final four.
Napoli, the runaway leaders in Serie A, were on their deepest-ever run in the competition and looking to cap their fine domestic campaign with a shot at European glory.
However, their storyline gave way to the potentially iconic meeting of the Milanese rivals in the next round, should Inter get past Benfica with a two-goal lead as a headstart on Wednesday night.
Buoyed by the return of Victor Osimhen from injury, Napoli looked incredibly dangerous early on as Matteo Politano and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia menaced their markers in typically tricky fashion.
Mike Maignan in the Milan goal was not called into serious action however, and it was clear that the hosts would not be able to sustain such a tempo for 90 minutes.
They escaped a major warning sign when Mario Rui took out Rafael Leao for a 22nd-minute penalty, which Giroud hit tamely to Alex Meret’s left to be saved. The home crowd went wild and yet witnessed Giroud easily break in behind moments later as Meret again got the better of the Frenchman.
Napoli’s pressure began to subside as Milan, led by the fantastic Fikayo Tomori and captain Davide Calabria, grew in confidence at the back and the dangerous Politano, along with Rui, went off injured.
Giroud wasn't going to miss that one!
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 18, 2023
Leão with one of the best solo runs you will ever see 😍#UCL pic.twitter.com/W4i9QLFnb2
The Rossoneri led after 43 minutes when Leao went on a rangy, dazzling run from inside his own half after Tanguy Ndombele’s miscontrol, merrily racing around challenges to tee up Giroud for a 1-0 lead on the night, and 2-0 on aggregate.
Kvaratskhelia was immediatetly on the front foot after the break but fired over on two occasions having left his defenders for dead.
Substitutes Hirving Lozano and Mathias Oliveira were also guilty of missing the target from promising positions before even a softly-awarded penalty was not enough. Kvaratskhelia was denied by Maignan after a handball call against Tomori.
Osimhen finally netted in the third minute of stoppage time but it was all too late as Milan reached the semis for the first time since 2007.
Even the staunchest of Rossoneri fans could be forgiven for hoping Inter seal their part of the deal to set up a mouthwatering semi-final derby - because the neutrals certainly will be.
