Wednesday evening at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium provided an apt metaphor for the lack of creativity and attacking threat the side have displayed as of late – Olivier Giroud’s desperate attempt to find a path back into this tie with a spectacular overhead kick resulted in him landing, flat on his backside. The home support sighed collectively in response, united by their disappointment.
The hosts’ malaise had become more prominent with each passing minute; despite showing moments of spark throughout, they ultimately failed to create any clear chances. Similarly, AC Milan posed a real problem for Spurs – Junior Messias’ effort just outside the box forcing an unnecessary save from Fraser Forster, followed shortly after by Brahim Diaz’s stinging shot from close range testiment to how restricted their opponents were. In stark contrast to their impressive performance in San Siro, it appeared that last night was just another one of those evenings for Jose Mourinho’s men.
Cristian Romero’s ill-advised sending off 12 minutes from the end of AC Milan’s tense match with Spurs all but sealed Tottenham Hotspurs’ fate and ensured yet another disappointing European campaign. What could have potentially been an incredible turn around for Spurs with some inspired play was not enough to overcome their one-man deficit as they were denied further progress in this competition. Despite Romero’s sending off, AC Milan were no doubt still thankful for goalkeeper Mike Maignan who came to the rescue late on in stoppage time, pulling off a heroic save to deny Harry Kane’s shot. With entertaining football and a dramatic finish, it certainly made up for the lack of Spurs success.
