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Advantage AC Milan as they beat Tottenham in the first-leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie.
An early goal from Brahim Diaz allowed AC Milan to win 1-0 against a Tottenham team that looked like they lacked ideas in the final third.
Antonio Conte's side paid a visit to the San Siro in the first-leg of their Champions League tie against AC Milan as they looked to take a positive result back to London. Tottenham did not manage to earn themselves any advantages going into the second-leg, as they fell behind early and did not manage to come back.
Brahim Diaz put the hosts ahead in the 7th minute of the game, and Harry Kane came close to equalising on the 45-minute mark as his shot crashed the crossbar, but it did not matter as it was offside. AC Milan had several chances to increase the scoreline, but poor finishing meant the margins remained the tiniest going into the second leg.
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Diaz's goal was the only one of the game, and it gives AC Milan a 1-0 lead heading into the return leg. Tottenham, on the other hand, would have to put up a better performance than they did today in front of their home fans if they are to qualify for the next round.
How it happened
AC Milan started the game on the better side and were rewarded with a goal early on when Theo Hernandez rammed through Tottenham’s backline before attempting a shot at the far post. Fraser Forster saved the shot, rebounding the ball onto the path of Brahim Diaz, who took a swipe at the ball only for the big Englishman to save again.
However, Fraser’s second save set the ball onto Diaz's path again, and the young midfielder’s diving header forced the ball into the back of the net.
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The game continued to be end-to-end at that point, and Tottenham were close to equalising at the stroke of halftime after Son broke free before shooting at Tatarusanu, whose save fell into the path of Harry Kane.
The 29-year-old struck powerfully, with the ball hitting under the crossbar to deflect back to the ground. The VAR did not have to check if the ball had crossed the line as Son was flagged offside in the build-up
Substitute Charles De Ketelaere was put through on goal, but the young Belgian comically headed wide from close range. Milan would miss another headed chance when defender Malick Thaw skied his header after a pinpoint cross from Rafael Leao.
AC Milan may rue profligacy
The Rossoneri did what was required at home: a win and a clean sheet; however, they would feel like they have let Tottenham off the hook, setting up a second leg still rife with uncertainty, when they could have taken a more comfortable scoreline to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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Stefano Pioli's men created four big chances in the game, compared to Tottenham's zero, but they only managed to convert one.
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