THE NOTEBOOK: Former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud gets the last laugh at Tottenham, Milan were delayed by their own fans to postpone kick-off… and Stefano Pioli wins the style war on the goal line band
seven times winners AC Milan reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in 11 years, as a disciplined display earned them a 0-0 draw in tottenham on Wednesday night and a 1-0 aggregate win.
On a frigid night in north London, the Italians comfortably protected the slim lead they established in the round of 16 first leg at the San Siro as Tottenham huffed and puffed to no avail.
Tottenham failed to get a first-half attempt on goal as their frustration boiled over with the manager antonio count reserved for letting his emotions get the best of him. The subdued hosts were not helped by the sending off of defender Cristian Romero for a second yellow card in the 78th minute.
Milan could have made the night more comfortable if they had taken advantage of some of the good chances they created, but in the end a masterclass in defensive game management helped them. Sportsmail’s MATT BARLOW takes a look at some of the things you may have missed.
Giroud has the last laugh
Olivier Giroud celebrates after Milan eliminated Tottenham in the Champions League
Unsurprisingly, little affection was shown for Fikayo Tomori or Olivier Giroud from the home fans.
Tomori, who rose through the Chelsea ranks, excelled in frustrating Spurs as part of Milan’s impenetrable defence.
Giroud, who has marked them with the colors of Arsenal and Chelsea, could not find the red and black net but had the last laugh, kissing his shirt and throwing it to the bottom.
He battled the fever to lead the line for 81 minutes and is preparing for the Champions League quarter-finals.
Milan delayed by their own fans
London’s infamous traffic congestion took its toll for the second night in a row.
After Borussia Dortmund struggled to get to Stamford Bridge on time on Tuesday, both teams arrived late at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last night.
The Spurs bus arrived an hour before the scheduled start at 8:00 p.m. and AC Milan’s five minutes later, which led UEFA to delay the start by 10 minutes, as they did at Chelsea.
Perhaps the flow was not helped when police closed the northbound High Road for a short time to allow Milan supporters to march together through the Seven Sisters slush.
Fans carried their flags and banners, spewing canisters of red smoke, all to the beat of their drums and songs, bringing a touch of Curva Sud to N17 as they celebrated on a cold and wet Wednesday night.
Pioli wins style wars on the touchline
Doctors’ orders left Antonio Conte at a disadvantage in touchline-style warfare.
Back on the bench from his post-op mishap, Conte was bundled up in his winter coat as Stefano Pioli kicked off his classic Italian 0-0 in a turtleneck, suit and gleaming white sneakers.
Milan boss Stefano Pioli donned a turtleneck, suit and gleaming white sneakers.
Doubts about Kulusevski
There were positive flickers from Dejan Kulusevski, but he hasn’t returned to his most destructive form since pulling a hamstring in Sweden in September.
Technically, he is still a Juventus player. Tottenham, who paid £8.3m on an 18-month loan, turned down the option to buy him for £26.75m last summer.
They must pay 31 million pounds and sign him at the end of this season if they reach the Champions League and he plays at least 45 minutes in 19 Premier League games.
He is already over 16, the other part of the equation is still in the balance.
Romero appears to have contracted yellow fever.
Cristian Romero appears to have contracted yellow fever in Qatar.
Two yellow cards on Wednesday night for two reckless lunges take him to eight since returning from the World Cup with a winner’s medal.
Two of them turned into red cards.