Serie A | Napoli 0-4 Milan: Rossoneri Dominate At The Maradona. Rafael Leao scored twice and Alexis Saelemaekers ran alone as Milan shocked everyone by defeating league leaders Napoli 4-0, moving them up to third and securing a spot in the Champions League quarterfinals.
The clubs will also clash on April 12 and 18 in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, making this the first of three meetings between them. Due to the absence of Bartosz Bereszynski, Matias Olivera, and Victor Osimhen due to injuries, Giovanni Simeone filled the center-forward position. After a month of testing with the three-man defense, the Rossoneri reverted to a 4-2-3-1 system because Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Junior Messias, and Pierre Kalulu were unable to travel.
The Napoli ultras held a silent protest against increased ticket prices and tighter security, so the normal atmosphere wasn’t there.
Serie A | Napoli 0-4 Milan: Rossoneri Dominate At The Maradona
In the opening minutes, Simeone, who received a pass from Piotr Zielinski, blazed over from 12 yards while Brahim Diaz’s finish lacked enough strength.
Brahim Diaz evaded Stanislav Lobotka at the by-line to send Rafael Leao clear, who beat Alex Meret with a lovely lob to give Milan the lead after a truly well-executed play. Since January 14, the Portuguese forward had failed to score in any kind of competition.
When Ismael Bennacer advanced down the left, his cross was only glanced to Brahim Diaz, who took a touch, sent Mario Rui past with a dummy, and struck from six yards to double the Rossoneri’s lead. Since October, the Spaniard has not scored in Serie A.
Mike Maignan could only parry Lobotka’s rocket from a distance with his chest, while Brahim Diaz’s counterattack attempt was fingertipped over.
After the restart, Giroud’s angled shot from the conclusion of a quick counterattack grazed the far post after Maignan palmed away a strong Zielinski shot.
When Mario Rui was let free by a brilliant Kvaratskhelia ball, Kim Min-Jae attempted to score from the tightest of angles and nearly caught Maignan out at the near post. However, the goalkeeper’s face stopped him.
