•Osihmen scores, but Nigerians’ seven-year s’final jinx continues as Napoli crash
•Champions send uninspired Blues packing
AC Milan ousted Napoli in the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday to end Victor Osimhen’s dream of reaching the semi-finals of the competition for the first time in seven years, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Luciano Spalletti’s side lost 2-1 on aggregate after playing a 1-1 draw at the Diego Armando Maradona in the second leg of the quarter-finals.
Osimhen had hoped to break the Champions League jinx and become just the eighth Nigerian to play at that level of the tournament and the first to appear in the semis since Kelechi Iheancho last played in the final four for Manchester City in the 2015/16 season.
But it was not to be, as the masters from Milan ended their European journey right in their backyard.
Rafael Leão’s mesmerising solo assist helped to add a 1-1 away draw to AC Milan’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final home leg triumph, ending Napoli’s best-ever run in Europe’s premier club competition and sealing a third unbeaten against the Italian champions-elect in just three weeks.
Fikayo Tomori’s handball yielded a penalty for the hosts with ten minutes of regular time remaining. However, as he struck low to Mike Maignan’s right, the Rossoneri goalkeeper seemingly hammered the final nail into the Azzurri’s coffin by diverting the ball to safety.
Yet, there was just enough time remaining for the hosts to set up a nervous finish, thanks to Osimhen’s bullet header, but Milan saw out the job to set up a tie with Benfica or cross-city rivals Inter in their first UCL semi-final since going all the way in 2007.
Blues out
Real Madrid advanced to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons with a 4-0 aggregate victory over Chelsea, following a 2-0 win on the night at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were facing a season-defining game against the 14-time winners and needed to show plenty of resilience to overcome Europe’s most successful side after a chastening series of results.
Chelsea fans were sensing that an extraordinary comeback could happen, as Kanté’s close-range attempt was blocked by Éder Militão after the Frenchman was set up by Conor Gallagher. However, the stuffing was kicked out of Lampard’s men when Los Blancos moved ahead on the night and increased their aggregate lead to 3-0 thanks to Rodrygo. The Brazilian ended a Real Madrid counter-attack with ruthless efficiency from inside the box, mercilessly exploiting the gaps left in defence by a Chelsea side going for broke.
Rodrygo then added his second to put yet another nail in Chelsea’s UCL coffin with a stunningly composed finish following some sumptuous link-up play involving Vinícius and Federico Valverde – a goal worthy of settling any European tie, ensuring Los Blancos claimed a fourth win from their last five clashes with English clubs outside of Spain.
