“Ismaël Bennacer etching his name in the annals of Algerian football through his incredible feat in Ligue des Champions”
The AC Milan football team, winners over Napoli by 1-0 in the first leg, qualified for the Champions League semi-finals after drawing 1-1 in the second leg played on Tuesday 18th April at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium. The Algerian international played a significant part in this performance and has now written his name in the history of Algerian football.
Ismaël Bennacer’s powerful shot gave AC Milan the edge and they won the physical challenge against Napoli in the first quarter-final, which helped them take an important step towards the semi-finals of the Champions League. In the second leg, the Rossoneri held on for a draw (1-1), and the international player is now part of the Algerian football history.
Indeed, not many players have had the opportunity to play in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Bennacer is the sixth Algerian player to qualify for the C1 semi-finals, after Rabah Madjer, Ali Benarbia, Houssem Aouar, Riyad Mahrez and Aïssa Mandi.
The Milanese midfielder now belongs to this select group after this all-Italian clash. After scoring his first goal in Europe at San Siro in the first leg, Bennacer became the third Fennec to score in the quarter-finals, following in the footsteps of his compatriots Rabah Madjer and Riyad Mahrez. “It is very special to score at San Siro. It’s an important goal for the team and for me. We all dream of doing that. The return match will be complicated in Naples, we will have to concretize”, he said with a smile on his face.
“He is a very strong player, very tactically intelligent. He’s a very calm player and calm off the pitch, but he wants to bite the ball on the pitch,” commented his Algerian teammate Faouzi Ghoulam, speaking to Sky Sports.
In the second leg match, played on the Naples pitch, Bennacer was particularly effective in the recovery and distribution of the ball. Since the start of the 2022/2023 Champions League, Ismaël Bennacer has played eight matches and scored one goal. The Milanese club had not reached the semi-finals since 2007.
