SSC Napoli (Italy), where “Iron Pillar” Min-jae Kim did not play, was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League (UCL).
Napoli drew 1-1 with AC Milan (Italy) in the 2022-2023 UCL 카지노사이트quarterfinal second leg home game held at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy on the 19th (Korean time). Napoli, who lost 0-1 in the away game in the first leg, failed to advance to the semifinals with a total score of 1-2 in the first and second legs.
Napoli had a good record of reaching the UCL quarterfinals for the first time in the club’s history, but could not overcome the wall of AC Milan, the traditional powerhouse. Napoli, which is the overwhelming leader in Italian professional football Serie A this season, suffered a crushing 0-4 defeat to AC Milan in the league match on the 3rd, and failed to win in two matches in the UCL, showing a particularly weak performance.
Kim Min-jae, who received the third yellow card of the tournament in the first game, was unable to participate in the second game due to accumulated warnings. The gap in Napoli’s defense without Kim Min-jae seemed that big.
On this day, Napoli overpowered AC Milan with 63-37% ball possession and 23-6 shots. In the 22nd minute of the first half, goalkeeper Alex Meret blocked AC Milan’s Olivier Giroud’s penalty, and the atmosphere in the beginning was on Napoli’s side. However, his ability to score goals was so low that he only had 4 effective shots.
Rather, AC Milan’s quick counterattack in the first half collapsed the defense and conceded the first goal. Tanguy Ndombele lost the ball to Rafael Leang after a poor ball handling in the Napoli camp, and Leang bypassed three defenders and hit the penalty area. Then, he passed to Giroud, who was rushing to the goal, and Jirou kicked it lightly.
It was the moment when the defense line without Kim Min-jae collapsed at once. Regarding this scene, Alessandro Costacurta, a former defender of the Italian national team, appeared on Sky Sports in Italy and pointed out that “Kim Min-jae’s absence was decisive.”
In the second half, Napoli pushed hard, but the shots missed the goal every time. In the 36th minute of the second half, he had a decisive opportunity to get a penalty kick due to the opponent’s handball foul. However, kicker Hvitza Kvarzhelia’s shot was blocked by goalkeeper Mike Mennan.
At the end of extra time in the second half, Napoli managed to equalize with a header shot by goal scorer Victor Osimen, but time was running out. The final whistle blew right away, and unfortunately, they had to end their challenge for the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, in the second leg of another UCL quarterfinal held at Spamford Bridge in London, England on the same day, Real Madrid, with Rodrygo’s consecutive goals, defeated Chelsea FC (England) 2-0. Real Madrid, who won the first and second games 4-0 on aggregate, won a ticket to the semifinals.