AC Milan vs Tottenham Hotspur. UEFA Champions League First Knockout Round.
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Match report from the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie between AC Milan and Tottenham at the San Siro as Spurs suffer a 1-0 loss; Oliver Skipp and Pape Sarr made first Champions League starts for Spurs due to midfield personnel crisis
Thursday 16 February 2023 00:09, UK
Brahim Diaz's early goal condemned Tottenham to a 1-0 loss against AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie but Antonio Conte feels their fans can roar them on to victory back in north London.
Former Manchester City winger Diaz bundled home from close range after seven minutes and Spurs were fortunate not to fall further behind in the closing stages when Milan spurned two glorious headed chances through Charles De Ketelaere and Malick Thiaw.
Instead, Conte will be relieved to return from a hostile San Siro with a deficit of only one goal having been forced to field a central midfield pairing of Oliver Skipp and Pape Sarr due to Rodrigo Bentancur's injury and the suspension of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Skipp and Sarr performed well in difficult circumstances on their full Champions League debuts but, in a largely cagey encounter, Spurs, beaten 4-1 by Leicester in the Premier League on Saturday, struggled to break down the stubborn hosts.
Their personnel issues will continue in the second leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with a yellow card to Eric Dier meaning he will miss out through suspension, but the one-goal margin of defeat means the tie is still open for Conte and his players.
"I know the San Siro and I know the difficulty to play with this atmosphere," said Conte afterwards. "In the second game, we have to play at our stadium and our fans will create the atmosphere to help us overcome the Milan obstacle."
Conte claimed some of his players struggle to cope with pressure after the 4-1 loss to Leicester and, at a vociferous San Siro, Milan's early opener seemed to provide further evidence.
The goal came after Theo Hernandez beat Cristian Romero to a long pass on the left and forced a parry from Fraser Forster, who then acrobatically saved Diaz's follow-up, only for the winger to force the loose ball into the net with a diving header.
But, despite having to work hard to contain the dangerous Rafael Leao, Spurs soon settled into the game following the early goal, causing problems for the hosts with a series of set-piece deliveries, albeit without creating any clear chances in the first half.
The second period began with a let-off for the reckless Romero, who was only booked, with VAR upholding the decision not to send him off, after he went flying into Sandro Tonali as Milan sprang forward on the counter-attack.
The game continued to follow a similar pattern after that, with Leao the only player providing a spark for Milan and Spurs struggling to turn their possession into scoring chances despite some dangerous moments.
Conte threw on Richarlison for Dejan Kulusevski in an attempt to increase his side's attacking threat but they could only muster occasional half-chances, with the impressive Sarr shooting too close to Milan goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu from distance.
The hosts then had two golden opportunities to ram home their advantage, with De Ketelaere, on as a substitute only moments earlier, heading tamely wide after Oliver Giroud had nodded a cross back into the danger area, and defender Thiaw then doing the same when picked out by Leao in an even better position.
Dier failed to connect properly with a header of his own, from a corner, as Spurs attempted to punish those Milan misses at the other end of the pitch, but Diaz's goal ultimately proved decisive on the night, leaving the tie intriguingly poised for the second leg.
Spurs head coach Antonio Conte said in his press conference: "I think it was a battle from the start until the end.
"I think both teams played the game with high intensity and a lot of pressure. It was difficult for us to play, it was difficult for them to play.
"It was a pity to concede a goal after five minutes, because I think in this specific situation, we could do much better.
"Then we tried, but when you play against Milan, you have to pay attention when you attack, to prevent the counter-attack because they have players like (Rafael) Leao, also Theo Hernandez, and a point of reference like (Olivier) Giroud, who, if they have space, can kill you."
When quizzed on his future at the club, Conte replied: "I prefer to live in the present, I don't want to think about the future, but you perfectly know that as an Italian man and the former Italy manager, Italy is in my heart and Italy will always stay there," he said.
"I will never exclude the possibility that I will be back here one day, who knows?"
"Playing here in the San Siro as a player and manager is special, is unique. The San Siro is a historical stadium, it's a beautiful one, it is always packed with people, it is full, and I love the fact whether it is Milan or Inter, the stadium is always crowded.
"It is very good for Milan and the stadium. I am pleased for both groups of fans. Today this beautiful setting was playing against us, the Milan supporters were singing all the time and it is evident they were the 12th man tonight, this will be helpful with us when we play the second leg."
Antonio Conte will rue the defensive sloppiness that allowed Brahim Diaz to score AC Milan's winner but there were positives for him to take too. First, that Spurs kept the tie open ahead of the second leg. And second, the performances of Pape Sarr and Oliver Skipp.
Sarr had never previously featured in the competition. In fact, this was only the 20-year-old's sixth appearance for Spurs in any competition. But together with Skipp, a full Champions League debutant himself at 22, he did not look out of place.
The pair were thrust into action due to circumstance, of course, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg suspended and Rodrigo Bentancur joining the injured Yves Bissouma on the sidelines when he ruptured his ACL in Saturday's 4-1 loss to Leicester in the Premier League.
But up against a vastly more experienced midfield duo of Sandro Tonali and Rade Krunic, they competed well, using the ball tidily and, in Sarr's case in particular, defending tigerishly.
The Senegal international made five tackles and regained possession 12 times - four more than anyone else on the pitch.
"It's nice to have the manager's trust," Skipp told BT Sport afterwards, before Conte added, in his own interview, the academy product and his younger team-mate had "repaid" that trust. "I'm really satisfied for both players," added the Spurs boss.
In Hojbjerg, Conte should have at least one of his missing midfielders back for next month's second leg, but Sarr and Skipp have shown they can deliver when called upon.
"To have this kind of performances from Skippy and Sarr makes me more relaxed," added Conte. "I know I can trust them 100 per cent."
AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli: "It wasn't hard to prepare this game tactically, with all the duels, but I am very happy with how my players performed.
"We could have scored a second goal - we had some clear chances. I am definitely happy with the performance but it's only the first leg and the next game will be surely more difficult."
Tottenham return to Premier League action with a home game against West Ham, live on Sky Sports Premier League on Sunday from 3.30pm; kick-off 4.30pm.
Spurs will play the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with AC Milan on Wednesday March 8 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium; kick-off 8pm.
