AC Milan and Real Madrid advance to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

The joy of victory for the AC Milan players. Photo: Reuters

Following their defeat in the first leg of the quarter-finals, Napoli pressed AC Milan hard right from the opening whistle. Within just over 10 minutes, the home team had six shots on Mike Maignan's goal but were unable to score.

Despite numerous attacks, Napoli failed to score and then suffered setbacks. In the 22nd minute, the referee awarded a penalty to the visitors after Mario Rui fouled Leao inside the penalty area. However, Giroud failed to beat goalkeeper Meret from the penalty spot.

However, the veteran French player didn't have to regret it for too long. Before the end of the first half, Leao made a run from his own half, beating Ndombele, Di Lorenzo and Rrahmani before crossing from the left wing for Giroud to easily tap the ball into the net, opening the scoring for Napoli.

Trailing 0-2, Napoli threw their entire team forward in attack in the second half. However, the home team's tactic of focusing the ball on Kvaratskhelia proved ineffective as AC Milan's defenders easily thwarted their attacks.

In a situation where they were almost powerless to find a goal, Napoli had a golden opportunity to rekindle their chances of progressing. In the 80th minute, Tomori handled the ball in AC Milan's penalty area, and the referee awarded Napoli a penalty. However, from 11 meters, the home team's brightest star, Kvaratskhelia, failed to beat goalkeeper Maignan.

In the remaining minutes, Napoli only managed one goal from a header by Osimhen. That wasn't enough for the home team in the second leg to avoid a 1-2 defeat. Napoli were eliminated in the quarter-finals, while AC Milan advanced to the semi-finals.

* In the match played at the same time, Real Madrid defeated Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to advance to the semi-finals with a 4-0 aggregate victory.

Rodrygo sealed Real's 2-0 victory in the 80th minute.

With a large number of players in midfield, Chelsea maintained good possession and controlled the midfield. However, their attacks still lacked unpredictability and precision.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid adopted a defensive counter-attacking strategy, creating genuinely dangerous opportunities whenever they went forward. Unfortunately, Vinicius, Rodrygo, and Modric all failed to convert them.

The most notable moment occurred at the end of the first half when Cucurella received the ball in a clear position right in front of Real's goal but hesitated too long. His shot was also too weak and Courtois was able to rush out and make the save. The first half ended without any goals being scored.

In the second half, Chelsea continued to dominate possession while Real Madrid were ready for counter-attacks. And finally, what was bound to happen did happen. In the 58th minute, Rodrygo used his speed to get past Chalobah before crossing the ball into the box. The ball bounced to Vinicius, who calmly passed it to Rodrygo, who finished from close range to open the scoring.

Trailing by a goal, Chelsea had no choice but to push forward in attack. Manager Lampard brought on Felix, Sterling, and Mudryk to bolster their firepower. However, Chelsea remained completely ineffective in finding a way to score against Real Madrid.

And in the 80th minute, it was all over for Chelsea. Rudiger launched a long pass over the top to Vinicius, who broke free and passed the ball to Valverde. The Uruguayan star calmly controlled the ball before crossing it to Rodrygo. With an empty net in front of him, he easily tapped the ball in to make it 2-0.

There was too little time left for Chelsea to make a difference and find a consolation goal. The Blues accepted a 0-2 defeat in the second leg and were officially eliminated in the Champions League quarter-finals with an aggregate score of 0-4.

Compiled by Trong An

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