Algeria star Ismael Bennacer wants to see AC Milan maintain their momentum after their 1-0 win over fellow Italian side Napoli in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Bennacer was the scorer of the only goal in the encounter, netting a fierce shot after a swift inter-play between Portuguese-Angolan Rafael Leao and Spanish-Moroccan Brahim Diaz.
It was Bennacer’s first-ever Champions League goal and he owed the victory to the team who followed the instructions of manager Stefano Pioli.
“We worked well, we did what the coach asked and it worked,” Bennacer told Amazon Prime Video.
“There’s still one game to go, we play in Bologna in three days, we have to recover as best we can, do things together. We showed a good attitude, we have to keep going like this.
“Maybe we were under pressure a bit but then we settled down well, we were good in man on man situation. Then we waited a bit more and tried to keep the ball a bit more.
“Of course we always try to do more, we have to work even harder for the second game.”
We go to Naples with a lead to defend ????#MilanNapoli #UCL #SempreMilan@oppoitalia pic.twitter.com/nxZWhBK1wQ
— AC Milan (@acmilan) April 12, 2023
Bennacer has been a stable name in the AC Milan squad this season, making 34 competitive appearances, scoring two goals and providing another two assists.
Should Milan progress from next week’s return leg in Naples, it will mark the first time they have been to the Champions League semi-finals since the 2006-07 season when they went on to win the competition for the seventh time.
