Milan are looking to keep everything in front of them in the final minutes, linking as many short passes in midfield as possible before going long in an effort to wind down the clock. It's been an impressive performance from the Rossoneri, who will see the clean sheet as an added bit of lustre.
85'
De Ketelaere cuts inside from the right and fires a powerful shot towards goal but Meret is equal to the strike, pushing it away to safety.
83'
C. De Ketelaere enters the game and replaces R. Krunić.
T. Bakayoko enters the game and replaces I. Bennacer.
De Ketelaere comes on for a seven-minute cameo. Bennacer is recalled to the bench.
81'
Juan Jesus enters the game and replaces Kim Min-Jae.
With the result seemingly out of reach, Spalletti makes a change in defence to give Kim a bit of rest. Jesus enters the fray.
79'
It’s been a difficult evening for Napoli, who haven’t conceded this many goals for more than a year - since a 4-2 loss to Barcelona in the Champions League on February 24, 2022. Still ahead at the top of the table by 16 points, the Partenopei will need to shake off the result and focus on the big picture, with other important ties upcoming.
77'
G. Raspadori enters the game and replaces G. Simeone.
Raspadori is given a chance to impress, with Simeone making way.
76'
Kvaratskhelia whacks a shot towards goal from 12 yards out that’s pulled disappointingly wide of the near post.
74'
D. Origi enters the game and replaces Rafael Leão.
A. Rebić enters the game and replaces O. Giroud.
Rebic gets 16 minutes to stretch his legs, with Giroud given the rest of the night off.
In come the substitutes for Milan, with Pioli looking to rest some of his starters. The first is in attack, with Origi replacing Leao.
70'
Tonali’s corner-kick finds the head of Tomori but the effort is whacked away from goal by Rui, stationed two yards ahead of Meret.
Minute
Description
68'
H. Lozano enters the game and replaces M. Politano.
T. Ndombélé enters the game and replaces P. Zieliński.
E. Elmas enters the game and replaces S. Lobotka.
A swap in midfield for the Partenopei sees Ndombele give Zielinski an early rest.
Elmas comes on for Lobotka immediately after Napoli concede the fourth.
Spalletti continues to make changes as Lozano is also sent on for Politano.
67'
A. Saelemaekers has scored a goal for AC Milan! Assist by D. Calabria.
IT GETS BETTER FOR THE VISITORS! 4-0! INCREDIBLE! Saelemaekers picks up possession of the ball in a central area just over 20 yards from goal and proceeds to slalom through four Napoli defenders, using a clever skill to get past Kim before dispatching a shot that gets through the legs of Meret!
The captain returns to the XI with an assist, setting Saelemaekers up for Milan's fourth of the contest.
63'
R. Krunić gets yellow.
Krunic barges Politano over with his shoulder, sending the Napoli winger to the ground holding his face. It’s a yellow card for the Milan midfielder.
61'
It gets even better for the visitors, who are reminding the current pace-setters of the form that saw them win the Scudetto last season. It’s been a stark contrast in performances for the Rossoneri to those prior to the international break, with Tonali and Leao looking refreshed and energetic.
59'
Rafael Leão has scored a goal for AC Milan! Assist by S. Tonali.
Tonali earns the assist, winning possession on the halfway line before picking Leao out with a perfect pass!
LEAO CONTINUES TO TORMENT THE NAPOLI DEFENCE! 3-0! SENSATIONAL! It’s a brilliant goal from the Milan winger, who latches onto Tonali’s leading pass on the left wing following a turnover in possession in midfield. The Portugal international twists and turns to get the better of three Napoli defenders before lashing a strike that leaves Meret no chance!
57'
A first change of the match goes the way of Milan, who replace Diaz with Saelemaekers.
56'
A. Saelemaekers enters the game and replaces Brahim Díaz.
55'
Kim gets into a position to dig out a cross towards goal from the left byline but Maignan drops his body quickly to make a smart stop at the near post.
53'
Bennacer sends a cross to the far post for Giroud, who is forced to leap acrobatically in an attempt to corral the ball but he has it stolen off his foot by Kim in front of his own goal.
51'
Krunic turns into trouble and loses possession to Simeone, who immediately turns and fires a shot at goal from distance. It’s a decent effort but it sails high and wide of the goal.
49'
Pioli looks to have swapped the positioning of Krunic and Bennacer, with the former stepping back to pair Tonali in midfield. The Algeria international is playing slightly higher, in an advanced position just behind Giroud, with the Rossoneri looking to take advantage of his left-footed playmaking abilities.
47'
Leao gets ahead of Lobotka and looks to have an early strike on goal but he drags his effort just wide of the far post.
46'
Milan get the match restarted from the kick-off!
45' +5
HALF-TIME: NAPOLI 0-2 MILAN.
45' +4
The fourth official indicates four minutes will be added to the end of the half for stoppages.
45' +2
Rui teases a dangerous set-piece to the penalty spot but Di Lorenzo’s header is deflected behind by Giroud.
45'
Hernandez pushes over Di Lorenzo on the right wing and gives Napoli a free-kick as we enter additional time.
43'
Kvaratskhelia drives to the byline and manages to dig out a cross despite close marking from Calabria, but his hoisted effort is easily caught by Maignan.
42'
A frustrated Kvaratskhelia looks to whack a volley through Calabria, with the winger’s follow-through catching the right-back in a very sensitive area. The Milan captain will require a bit of treatment deep on the right flank with under five minutes to go in the half.
40'
S. Lobotka gets yellow.
Rui is brought down just outside the penalty area by Diaz, who wins the ball cleanly according to the referee. The goal scorer then turns around and bursts away from his own penalty area, where he’s halted by a heavy Lobotka tackle. It’s a yellow card for the Napoli midfielder - the second booking of the match.
39'
Giroud is brought down by Rrahmani after the centre-back’s heavy touch in midfield, leaving the Milan striker in a bit of pain. After clutching his foot he rises slowly to his feet, limping forward with the visitors given a free-kick.
37'
Play is halted briefly, with the referee and VAR in conversations about the earlier passage of play. It appears as though there’s a chance Kjaer used his arm to block Rrahmani’s headed effort but after a moment’s break, the referee allows the match to continue with a goal-kick.
36'
Zielinski is given the task of delivering the set-piece with the midfielder looking for the head of Rrahmani but Kjaer gets ahead of his opponent and does enough to put him off.
35'
O. Giroud gets yellow.
Giroud's ungainly sliding challenge takes down Politano and earns the striker a yellow card - in his first match back from suspension.
34'
Kvaratskhelia cuts inside and looks to hammer a shot towards Maignan but Calabria leaves it all on the line, sliding in to put a crucial block on the effort.
32'
Milan have been extremely eager to shade themselves defensively to their right - Napoli’s left - in an attempt to stop the sensational Kvaratskhelia. The Georgia international has not been afforded any space to cut inside or fire a shot, with as many as three Rossoneri markers immediately over to crowd the space.
30'
It’s been as good as Pioli could have hoped for in the opening 30 minutes, with his side ahead by a pair of goals. With two key Champions League fixtures upcoming it’s clear that Luciano Spalletti will have one eye on their quarter-final tie with such a big gap ahead of second-placed Lazio to rest on. The Rossoneri cannot let up in intensity if they wish to see out the result however, with Napoli capable of scoring goals in bunches at any point.
28'
Rui’s ensuing corner is contested by Kim and Giroud, with the striker getting the better of his opponent in the air to clear the danger.
27'
Rui comes forward immediately looking to get his side back in the game but Diaz is there to do his defensive work, deflecting the cross and putting it behind for a corner.
25'
Brahim Díaz has scored a goal for AC Milan!
MILAN DOUBLE THE ADVANTAGE! 2-0! Leao plays a one-two with Giroud on the edge of the area, before playing Bennacer into space down the left wing. The Algeria international puts a good cross into the area for Diaz, who brings it down and fakes a shot to get past a sliding Rui before depositing his shot in the back of the goal!
23'
Politano refuses to use the overlapping run of Di Lorenzo, instead flashing a cross to the edge of the 18-yard box. Simeone brings it down and looks to continue the pressure but the referee blows his whistle immediately for handball on the striker, who used his arm to bring it down from the air.
21'
Hernandez charges through midfield looking to find Giroud 18 yards from goal but he goes down under challenges from both Politano and Lobotka. The left-back looks around for a free-kick decision but one isn’t forthcoming as the referee allows play to continue with the hosts in possession.
19'
Leao hasn’t found the back of the net since mid-January, with the former MVP failing to contribute during Milan’s three centre-back phase. He’s back with a bang in an extremely important match for the Rossoneri, giving them the all-important opener away from home.
17'
Rafael Leão has scored a goal for AC Milan! Assist by Brahim Díaz.
Diaz's silky skills and pass put Leao in a position to score, earning him the assist.
LEAO GETS BACK ON THE SCORE SHEET! 1-0! Diaz shows a nifty bit of trickery to get past two defenders on the right wing before playing a perfectly weighted pass into the channel for Leao. The winger takes a first touch to draw Meret off his line before executing a fantastic chip to beat the goalkeeper!
16'
Leao looks to take on Di Lorenzo before curling a cross to the far post. It’s a good idea from the Portugal international but without a team-mate attacking the space, it’s allowed to roll behind for a goal-kick.
15'
Zielinski’s near-post corner fails to get past the first man, with Krunic whacking the ball away and forcing Napoli back to Meret.
14'
Politano is shown inside by the Milan defence and the winger obliges, stepping in from the right and firing a shot from distance that takes a deflection before going behind - winning Napoli a corner.
12'
Kvaratskhelia slaloms through three Milan defenders, getting past Bennacer with an expert feint as he eases into the penalty area but his final touch past Kjaer lets him down and gives Maignan a chance to reclaim possession.
10'
Kjaer rushes his long pass over the top of the defence, failing to give Leao a chance to run towards it as Meret calmly steps off his line to win the loose ball inside his own penalty area.
7'
Politano is afforded the space to put in a cross with his weaker right foot but the delivery to the far post is met by Calabria, who nods it backwards to initially clear the danger.
5'
Milan have changed shape back to a 4-2-3-1 after employing a three centre-back system for the majority of their matches prior to the international break. While the defence seemed to benefit at times, the attack was left marginalised - especially Leao - with the Portugal international preferring a position out wide to use his pace against opposing full-backs.
1'
Napoli get the match underway from the kick-off!
Hello and welcome to our LIVE commentary of the Serie A fixture between Napoli and Milan!
Napoli welcome Milan to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in a preview of their upcoming Champions League quarter-final tie. The Partenopei start the day 16 points ahead of second-placed Lazio, and could be one step closer to securing a first Scudetto in over 30 years with a win.
Despite a poor run of results which saw Milan earn one point in their final three games before the international break, Stefano Pioli’s team have a chance to jump Roma, as well as rivals Inter in the table and go into third after the Nerazzurri’s loss to Fiorentina yesterday. The first of three meetings with Napoli in 16 days, the Rossoneri will be looking to put down a marker and show they can compete with the runaway leaders.
With 15 minutes to go before kick-off, let’s take a look at how the two sides are lining up - starting with our hosts!
MILAN SUBS: Antonio Mirante, Ciprian Tatarusanu, Alessandro Florenzo, Ante Rebic, Divock Origi, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Matteo Gabbia, Fode Ballo-Toure, Yacine Adli, Tommaso Pobega, Malick Thiaw, Charles De Ketelaere, Aster Vrancx, Alexis Saelemaekers.
MILAN XI (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Davide Calabria, Simon Kjaer, Fikayo Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer; Brahim Diaz, Rade Krunic, Rafael Leao; Olivier Giroud.
NAPOLI SUBS: Pierluigi Gollini, Eljif Elmas, Karim Zedadka, Giacomo Raspadori, Diego Demme, Juan Jesus, Leo Ostigard, Alessio Zerbin, Gianluca Gaetano, Hirving Lozano, Davide Marfella, Tanguy Ndombele.
NAPOLI XI (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Mario Rui, Min-Jae Kim, Amir Rrahmani, Giovanni Di Lorenzo; Piotr Zielinski, Stanislav Lobotka, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa; Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, Giovanni Simeone, Matteo Politano.
Napoli don’t have any other option but to attack in the second half, with the two-goal deficit a rare position to be in for the Partenopei this season. Spalletti must walk a tightrope however, not wanting to give too much away ahead of their meeting with Milan in the Champions League. Lozano and Raspadori should feature in the second half to give the hosts a burst of pace late on. Milan will look to continue pressing and harrying at every opportunity, and could introduce Florenzi and/or Vrancx to provide a bit more experience and solidity.
That concludes our commentary of the Serie A fixture between Napoli and Milan! We hope you’ve enjoyed it!
Napoli travel to play Lecce in Serie A on Friday, while Milan return home to host Empoli on the same day.
Commentary
More…