Report, reaction and more
Antonio Conte speaks ...
“What happened is that these are tough games and we are not able to score,” he tells BT Sport. “The game was in balance then if you ask me, in a game like were we really dangerous, I say no. Offensively, we can do much better. I can’t tell you anything negative about the commitment of the players. I think they gave everything from the start unbtil the end and we finished the game with 10 men. If I have to see a positive to the situation, it’s that last season we played Europa Conference League and we weren’t able to get past the group stage. This is a step forward but for sure it was not enough and we weren’t competitive enough.”
Radio silence from Tottenham Hotspur: Almost 30 minutes after the final whistle and Antonio Conte has yet to emerge from his team’s dressing-room to attend to his media duties. He may well be tearing his charges a new one for their lack of effort tonight but he has to accept his fair share of responsibility for tonight’s pitiful performance by his team. While it seems unlikely he’ll stay beyond the end of the season, it’s probably fair to say most Totternham fans would prefer him to leave now.
Olivier Giroud speaks: “It’s a great result,” the Milan striker tells Prime Video. “I told the players that we deserved to be in the Champions League and we wanted to do well in it. We made it to the last 16 and we deserved this result, even though we could have scored more. We showed quality, spirit, and we could have won tonight as well.”
Match report: Tottemnham Hotspur 0-0 AC Milan (agg 0-1)
Champions League: “Spurs were always in this last 16, second-leg tie and yet, at the same time, never really in it at all, the gulf between their telegraphed patterns and Milan’s composure all too pronounced,” writes David Hytner from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
147 - Tottenham 0-0 Milan has ended Spurs' run of 147 consecutive home games in all competitions without a goalless draw, since a 0-0 against Swansea at Wembley in the Premier League in September 2017 (5 years and 173 days ago). Drab. pic.twitter.com/pnRC5R64kn
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 8, 2023
Elsewhere in the Champions League: Paris Saint-Germain are out. They’ve lost 2-0 on the night to Bayern Munich and exit the tournament 3-0 on aggregate. That’s their fifth Round of 16 exit in the past seven seasons.
Full time: Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 AC Milan (agg 0-1)
Peep! Peep! Peeeeep! Three shrill peeps on the referee’s whistle and a loud chorus of boos from the stands signal the end of the game. Tottenham Hotspur have been knocked out of the Champions League with barely a whimper following one of their more pitiful performances this season.
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90+6 min: We’re into the final minute of added time and one suspects this might be the last we see of Harry Kane playing Champions League football in a Tottenham Hotspur shirt.
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90+3 min: Oof! Tottenham win a free-kick and Son hoists the ball towards the far post. Mike Maignan saves splendidly from a Harry Kane header. He gets down to his right to parry the ball clear and Milan break upfield. Hernandez squares the ball for Origi, whose shot hits the foot of the post and rebounds into the arms of Fraser Forster.
90+1 min: Divock Origi runs into traffic on the edge of the Tottenham penalty area. Meanwhile in the stands, a steady stream of Spurs fans are pouring towards the exits in a bid to beat the pedestrian traffic on the Seven Sisters Road. If Spurs go on to lose this game, those remaining in their seats will make their displeasure known in no uncertain terms.
90 min: Into added time we go and there’ll be six extra minutes for 10-man Spurs to try to salvage something from this tie.
87 min: Having rested key players only to limp out of the FA Cup to Sheffield United’s second string last week, Tottenham look like they’re going out of the Champions League with little more than a whimper tonight. They’ve been dismal tonight and those two results, not to mention their defeat at the hands of Wolves on Saturday, are going to prompt no end of calls for Antonio Conte’s head.
86 min: Tottenham have a penalty claim waved away when Davinson Sanchez goes to ground in the Milan penalty area, in the vicinity of Theo Hernadez. Replays show no evidence of anything even resembling a foul.
83 min: Tottenham substitution: Davinson Sanchez on for Dejan Kulusevski. A reminder, because that substitution suggests it seems to have completely slipped Antonio Conte’s mind: 10-man Tottenham need to score a goal.
81 min: Milan double-substitution: Ismail Benacer and Divock Origi on for Brahim Diaz and Olivier Giroud.
80 min: That Romero challenge, in case your wondering, occurred by the touchline, right beside the technical areas. There was no need for it whatsoever!
Cristian Romero is sent off!
77 min: In news that will come as no surprise to anyone who is familiar with his work, Cristian Romero gets his second yellow card for a rash, stupid lunge on Theo Hernandez. Romero injured himself in making the challenge and is off the pitch lying on the ground receiving attentino. Referee Clement Turpin waits until he has the player’s undivided attention before brandishing the yellow, followed by the red.
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76 min: Tottenham win another corner. Porro takes this one from the right but his outswinger is a little too high for Richarlison. Ben Davies recycles the ball but it ends up in the warm embrace of Mike Maignan.
74 min: Tottenham corner. Son’s inswingers sails harmlessly over the bar and out of play. Dreadful.
73 min: Mike Maignan claims a high ball at the edge of his penalty area and is subsequently barged to the ground by Richarlison, who gets a talking-to from the referee. Moments later, the Brazilian misses an opportunity to pick out Son in space wide on the left.
72 min: Kulusevski wins a corner for Spurs. Pedro Porro’s outswinger is headed clear by Milan.
71 min: Unable to put any distance between himself and Cristian Romero, Rafael Leao runs on to a ball played his way from deep but fires high over the bar under pressure from his marker.
70 min: Tottenham substitution: Richarlison on for Emerson Royal.
69 min: Pedro Porro, who has looked menacing in his role playing down the right since coming on, gets a cross in. It’s knee-high but Harry Kane inexplicably elects to try and head it instead of kick it. A half-decent chance goes to waste.
67 min: Leao tries to tee up Brahim Diaz, who could have shot first-time from 15 yards out but elected to take a couple of touches. When he did eventually get a shot of sorts off, the ball deflected the way of Giroud, who hooked it into Forster’s breadbasket from close range.
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66 min: It’s all relative and the bar is exceptionally low but Tottenham are currently looking more dangerous than they have at any other point during this game.
63 min: Son attempts a cross into the Milan penalty area but his effort is blocked. Milan only half-clear and the ball falls to Hjobjerg, who scurries through the opposition penalty area before stinging the palms of Maignan with a rising drive towards the near post.
62 min: Theo Hernandez dawdles over a throw-in down by the technical areas, prompting whistles and jeers from the Tottenham fans. He won’t care about that.
60 min: Porro shoos Son out of his way and blasts the ball into the Milan defensive wall. Olivier Giroud hacks it clear.
58 min: Harry Kane receives a pass from Hjobjerg and is clipped by Sandro Tonali as he turns to sprint into the Milan penalty area. Free-kick for Tottenham, 25 yards out, right of centre. Having hit the bar with a similar effort against WOlves at the weekend, Porro is lining it up.
57 min: There’s been considerably more huff and puff from Spurs in this second half but they’ve created nothing of note. There’s plenty of time remaining but this is all very easy for Milan.
56 min: Milan susbtitution: Alexis Saelemaekers on for Junior Messias, who appears to have picked up a knock. Saelemaekers takes an eternity to get his socks, shinpads and boots just so, earning himself a rollocking from his manager, who tells him to hurry up.
54 min: Emerson Royal is nutmegged by Brahim Diaz and fouls the AC Milan midfielder as he tries to dart past him. Free-kick for Milan.
52 min: Tottenham substitution: Pedro Porro on for Ivan Perisic, who has done little or nothing all evening. Or indeed, throughout all his time at Spurs. Other opinions are, of course, available.
51 min: Fraser Forster is forced to save with a foot from Brahim Diaz, who’d shot low and diagonally from five yards out after wriggling between a couple of Tottenham defenders. A let-off for Spurs.
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50 min: Hjobjerg plays the ball wide to Kulusevski on the right flank but Tottenham are unable to get the ball into the Milan penalty area.
48 min: Some long overdue signs of life from Spurs, as Dejan Kulusevski whips the ball towards the edge of the Milan six-yard box. It’s hooked clear by Fikayo Tomori but at least the crowd have woken up.
47 min: Cristian Romero accidentally cuffs Brahim Diaz in the face as the Milan midfielder attempts to lift the ball over his head. He avoids a second yellow card, which would have been harsh if produced.
Second-half: Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 AC Milan (agg 0-1)
46 min: Play resumes with AC Milan on the ball and perhaps surprisingly, no changes in personnel on either side yet. I thought Spurs might take off Perisic, who has done nothing and send on Richarlison.
Half-time: Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 AC Milan (agg 0-1)
Peep! With the home crowd sitting in near silence, referee Clement Turpin brings the first half to a merciful end. The deadlock is unbroken but with their aggregate lead, Milan will be absolutely delighted with how well things have gone in the opening 45 minutes. The onus is on Tottenham to score and they’ve barely caused their visitors an ounce of anything even remotely resembling bother.
45+1 min: Ivan Perisic tries to pick out Harry Kane with a cross arrowed from deep towards the far post. Maignan is quick off his line to claim the ball before it reaches its intended target.
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44 min: Various Milan players ping the ball hither and yon just inside their own half with Tottenham’s players applying little or no pressure and just leaving them to it. It’s been a pretty disappointing first-half performance from Spurs, who have shown little or no urgency and created absolutely nothing.
42 min: Dejan Kulusevski sends a cross towards the far post from the right, standing the ball up at the far post. Ivan Perisic gets on the end of it but is unable to generate any power in his downward header. AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan collects.
39 min: Dejan Kulusevski plays a loose pass, then fouls Olivier Giroud as he tries to retrieve the ball. The French striker goes to ground and is in no rush to return to his feet.
38 min: With little to get excited about taking place on the pitch, the atmosphere in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on this cold March evening seems fairly subdued. One suspects a goal from the hosts would perk the home crowd up no end but there’s no sign of one coming.
35 min: Mike Maignan is forced to block with his feet at the near post when a low Harry Kane cross towards Ivan Perisic takes a deflection off the boot of Malick Thiaw.
32 min: Harry Kane sends the ball fizzing up the right flank for Son to chase. It’s something of a Hail Mary pass and Fikayo Tomori mops up at the back for Milan.
32 min: Kulusevski is penalised for a foul on Theo Hernadez in the middle of the pitch.
30 min: Tottenham’s fans howl with the outrage of the aggrieved when Dejan Kulusevski trips over his own feet while galloping upfield and loses possession – they feel their man was fouled. Milan break upfield and Junior Messia sends another long-range effort high and wide of Fraser Forster’s goal.
29 min: WIth almost 30 minutes gone, there have been no chances of note for either side and AC Milan retain their slim aggregate lead.
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27 min: Emerson Royal goes to ground, in need of medical attention. He and Theo Hernandez have a lengthy, apparently amiable chat while they wait for the physio to come on and administer treatment.
25 min: Kulusevski tries to escape down the right touchline with the ball at his feet but is unable to shake off Theo Hernandez, who forces the Spurs winger to run the ball out of play for a goal-kick.
23 min: Heung-min Son tries a shot from distance that is deflected out for a corner. The South Korean takes it short to the edge of the penalty area, receives the return pass and then curls the ball high and wide into the stand behind the Milan goal.
20 min: Clement Lenglet is booked for a foul on Olivier Giroud. He too will miss the quarter-final first leg if Tottenham go through tonight. On the touchline, Spurs manager Antonio Conte has also been booked for some misdemeanour or other. After a period of leniency from referee Clement Turpin, those yellow cards are now coming thick and fast.
18 min: From the free-kick, which looks like it might have been practiced on the training ground, albeit not anywhere near enough, Milan right wing-back Junior Messias pulls a shot well wide of the far post.
16 min: Never a shrinking violet, Cristian Romero upends Rafael Leao with one of his trademark needlessly clumsy challenges just outside the Tottenham penalty area and earns the first booking of the night. He’ll miss the first leg of the quarter-final through suspension, should Tottenham advance.
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15 min: Theo Hernandez canters down the inside-left but is unable to get the ball out from under his feet to send a cross towards the unmarked Olivier Giroud, who was screaming for a pass. Clement Lenglet blocks the pass when Hernandez finally contrives to get it away.
13 min: Clement Lenglet barges Rafael Leao to the ground as the Milan winger tried to run on to a through-ball. He too avoids a booking from leniency’s Clement Turpin.
11 min: Tottenham attack on the break with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg winning the ball and playing it forward to Kane. He pings it wide to Kulusevski, who picks out Emerson Royal. His fairly weak shot takes a deflection but Maignan scrambles to prevent the ball from going out for a corner.
9 min: Oliver Skipp commits his second cynical foul of the night, on this occasion grabbing a fistful of Rafael Leao’s shirt as the Milan winger tried to get away from him. He joins Kalulu in getting a lecture from the referee, who warns him he’ll be booked for any subsequent tomfoolery.
8 min: Harry Kane tries to drill a cross into the Milan penalty are from the right flank but his delivery is blocked.
6 min: Milan central-defender Pierre Kalulu catches Ivan Perisic with a late challenge that leaves the Croatian limping. Kalulu gets a ticking-off from the referee, whose yellow card stays in his pocket.
5 min: Olivier Giroud tries to send Rafael Leao in behind the Spurs defence but succeeds only in hitting his team-mate in the face with his pass.
4 min: Maignan sends a clearance from his own penalty area drifting out of play for a throw-in halfway inside the Tottenham half. I’m not sure who he was trying to pick out there!
2 min: There’s an another foul on Hernandez, who gets a little shoulder from Oliver Skipp in obstruction mode. Free-kick for Milan, about 35 yards from the Tottenham goal. Hernandez curls the ball into the penalty area but the hosts clear with a minimum of fuss.
2 min: AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan gets an early touch, pinging the ball out towards Hernandez on the touchline.
1 min: Dejan Kulusevski concedes an early free-kick, fouling Theo Hernandez deep in the Milan half as he tried to pressure him on the ball.
Tottenham Hotspur v AC Milan (agg: 0-1) is go
1 min: Tottenham get the ball rolling, their players wearing white shirts, shorts and socks. AC Milan are in black and red striped shirts, black shorts and black socks.
Not long now: With less than five minutes to go before tonight’s delayed kick-off, the teams line up in the tunnel and make their way out on to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Sward. Harry Kane skippers Spurs tonight, while Theo Hernandez wears the captain’s armband for Milan. The two sets of players line up either side of French referee Clement Turpin and his team of match officials.
Kick-off: Crikey! The latest word from White Hart Lane is that kick-off will be at 8.10pm. Whatever time play gets under way, we’ll be here to report on it.
Those teams: Antonio Conte makes just one change to the team that lost 1-0 against Wolves at Molineux on Saturday. As expected, Emerson Royal comes in for Pedro Porro at right wing-back, while Dejan Kulusevski keeps his place despite speculation he might be replaced by Richarlison.
There are three changes to the AC Milan side that lost against Fiorentina at the weekend. Portuguese winger Rafael Leao, Bosnian midfielder Rade Krunic return from domestic suspension, while Brahim Diaz` is also in. Ismael Bennacer, Ante Rebic and Charles De Ketelaere make way, dropping to the bench.
Kick-off is no longer delayed ...
Having announced that kick-off would not take place until 8.30pm, it has now been decided that it will in fact take place at it’s original time of 8pm. Both teams are at the stadium. The Milan team coach was late arriving to the stadium but did turn up shortly after 7pm. A Uefa diktat states teams need to be at the ground a minimum of 50 minutes before kick-off and Milan made the cut-off, so the game will go ahead on time.
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Tottenham Hotspur v AC Milan line-ups
Tottenham Hotspur: Forster, Romero, Lenglet, Davies, Royal, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Perisic, Kulusevski, Kane, Son
Subs: Austin, Whiteman, Sanchez, Richarlison, Danjuma, Pedro Porro, Tanganga, Moura, Sarr, Devine.
AC Milan: Maignan, Thiaw, Tomori, Kalulu, Hernandez, Messias, Krunic, Tonali, Diaz, Giroud, Leao.
Subs: Mirante, Calabria, Bennacer, Ballo-Toure, Rebic, Kjaer, Florenzi, Origi, Pobega, Gabbia, Saelemaekers, De Ketelaere.
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Kick-off delayed by 30 minutes ...
Tonight’s match between Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan will kick-off at the later time of 8.30pm (GMT). We’ll let you know why just as soon as we find out!
Team news for #TOTACM 📋
— AC Milan (@acmilan) March 8, 2023
Forza ragazzi! ❤️🖤#UCL #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/NqzgOPVaN9
Your Spurs team this evening 👊#UCL pic.twitter.com/RKQrQN6oBY
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 8, 2023
Tonight's match officials
Referee: Clement Turpin
Assistant referees: Nicolas Danos and Benjamin Pages
Fourth official: Jeremie Pignard
Video Assistant Referee: Alejandro Hernandez
Early team news
Hugo Lloris, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma and Ryan Sessegnon all remain on Tottenham Hotspur’s long-term list of absentees, while Eric Dier is suspended after being shown his third yellow card of the current campaign at the San Siro. In better news for Spurs, central midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is back from a spell of his own on the Naughty Step. Emerson Royal seems likely to be picked ahead of Pedro Porro at right wing-back, while Richarlison could come in for Dejan Kulusevski up front.
AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli can call on first-choice goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who missed the first leg through injury, while Bosnian midfielder Rade Krunic and Portuguese winger Rafael Leao are also available following suspensions that ruled them out of their side’s 2-1 league defeat away at Fiorentina on Saturday.
Champions League: Tottenham Hotspur v AC Milan (agg: 0-1)
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the venue for tonight’s Round of 16 second leg between Spurs and Milan, with the Italian champions leading 1-0 courtesy of Brahim Diaz’s seventh minute strike in the first leg at the San Siro on Valentine’s Night.
There is unlikely to be – tragic pun ahoy! – any love lost between the two sides tonight, with Antonio Conte back in his technical are after a spell out recuperating from surgery and trying to mastermind a comeback in what is his team’s only semi-realistic chance of securing silverware this season. Tottenham have not won a European knockout game since they reached the Champions League final four years ago.
Fifth in the Serie A table and out of the Coppa Italia, Milan find themselves in a similar position with only one trophy to play for, but few will fancy the chances of whoever advances from this tie to go much further in the competition. Kick-off in North London is at 8pm (GMT) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
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