AC Milan won 1-0. Tottenham: Injured Spurs are defeated in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 after Brahim Diaz's early goal... but Antonio Conte's side is still in the tie after holding firm in the second half.

AC Milan won 1-0. Tottenham: Injured Tottenham are beaten in the Champions League last-16 first leg after Brahim Diaz's early goal... but Antonio Conte's side are still in the tie after holding firm in the second half Tottenham fell short in their Champions League last-16 clash on Tuesday Antonio Conte's side were beaten 1-0 by Serie A giants AC Milan at the San Siro Brahim Diaz's first-half header was enough to earn the hosts a win on the night

By the end, the horde of red and black was as loud as it had been all night, bouncing in the Curva Sud with flags flying, flares glowing, and smoke drifting out from behind Fraser Forster's goal.

Stefano Pioli's players joined hands and responded to the collective call for a celebratory leap.




Milan has the advantage thanks to an early goal by Brahim Diaz, but the tie is still alive. It is not, by any means, over. Spurs are still in it, and Conte will be encouraged by the spirit shown by his depleted squad.




Tottenham resisted where they could have given up. They refused to capitulate, as they did in Leicester on Saturday. In midfield, Milan were matched fairly by inexperienced pair Oliver Skipp, making his first Champions League start, and Pape Matar Sarr, making his first appearance in the competition.



Tottenham were defeated 1-0 by AC Milan in the last-16 of the Champions League.



Spurs manager Antonio Conte stood on the sidelines as his team suffered consecutive defeats.



Brahim Diaz, a winger, scored the game-winning header in the first half.



Diaz was on hand to score from close range after only seven minutes.

As the game progressed, both players gained confidence. Sarr established himself as a driving forward force, carrying the ball and covering ground. Skipp filled gaps, made tackles, and kept the ball moving by passing and probing.

The young pair will be remembered for their maturity on the big stage, and it was not the center of the team that left Spurs with work to do in the second leg of this last 16 tie in three weeks.

Instead, they were punished for a lapse in defense, a series of errors involving experienced defenders, Cristian Romero foremost among them but not alone.

Conte could have done without the yellow card for a foul on Olivier Giroud, which will keep Eric Dier out of the return, and he will be aware that his team was fortunate to escape in the closing stages when Charles de Ketelaere and Malick Thiaw both headed chances wide.

That would have altered the color of the tie. As it was, Tottenham played reasonably well, and Conte, who was more animated than usual on the touchline, was still less than a fortnight after surgery to remove his gall bladder.

The former Inter manager was greeted with boos and jeers before the game, but he would have left Milan with a quiet sense of satisfaction.

With the away goals rule no longer in effect, he will be confident his team can fight their way back into the quarter-finals, having seen the spirit on display despite missing stars and a depleted squad in an intense atmosphere on a poor surface, hardly conducive to the type of slick counter-attacking football Conte's team thrives on.

They had to deal with a frantic goal in the seventh minute as well.



On the night, Harry Kane was unable to score for the north London club.



Tottenham's young midfielder Pape Matar Sarr (L) delivered an outstanding performance.

With his dazzling platinum rinse, Milan captain Theo Hernandez troubled Spurs whenever he raided forward into the space behind Emerson Royal, and made life difficult for Romero, on the right of the Tottenham back three.
MATCH FACTS AND STAT

AC Milan:

Tatarusanu, Kalulu, Kjaer, Thiaw, Saelemaekers (Messias), Krunic, Tonali (Pobega), Hernandez, Diaz (Ketelaere), Leao (Rebic), Giroud

Unused subs:

Calabria, Ballo-Touré, Origi, Gabbia, Mirante, Nava

Scorers: Diaz (7)

Tottenham:

Forster, Romero, Dier, Lenglet (Davies, Royal, Skipp, Sarr, Perisic, Kulusevski (Richarlison), Son (Danjuma), Kane

Unused subs:

Sanchez, Porro, Tanganga, Moura, Austin, Whiteman, Devine

Yellow cards: Romero, Dier

Referee: Sandro Schärer

Attendance: 74,320

Hernandez outran the Argentine in the air and raced towards Fraser Forster's goal from the left. He took aim with his left foot and deftly caught it.

Forster, who was filling in for the injured Hugo Lloris, closed the angle at his near post and let the ball crash into his chest, but the rebound spun invitingly into the penalty area.

Diaz was first on it, and with a side-foot volley, she nursed it back towards the gaping net. Forster stretched and made another save, throwing out his left hand to prevent the ball from crossing the line.

It was a miraculous stop, and the ball seemed to defy gravity for a fraction of a second, suspended tantalizingly in mid-air, above the goal line. Forster and Ivan Perisic had collapsing on the turf.

Diaz, a former Manchester City player, threw himself like a running back, flying for the end zone, and finished with a header to give his team the lead.

The San Siro exploded. If Conte truly wanted to put a character to the test, this one had suddenly become sterner. Tottenham regrouped, successfully disrupting the game's flow and threatening from set-pieces expertly delivered by Son.

Dier headed wide from one of Son's free kicks, and Royal tried his luck from distance, but could only force a routine save from Ciprian Tatarusanu.

In the first half, Conte's team was unable to penetrate Milan's defense. Son dashed clear to force a save from Tararusanu and Kane turned the rebound onto the bar in stoppage time, but Son was a yard offside.



Milan defender All night, Theo Hernandez was a lightning rod down the left side.

The flag was raised late, but it was the correct call. Kane was more influential in the second half, connecting open play and assisting Tottenham in moving up the field.

Still, it was difficult to break through, and Milan came up with a late flurry that blew the game open. Suddenly, there were openings at both ends, and the noise level increased.

Substitute De Ketelaere shot wide, and Thiaw came even closer seconds later. Sarr saw a deflected effort go wide at the other end, and Dier fluffed a header from a corner.

It stands poised. This time, it's not a trip to the San Siro to continue Gareth Bale's hat-trick from the clash between Joe Jordan and Rino Gattuso, but a thrilling duel.



Tottenham will face an uphill battle in the second leg in London as a result of Diaz's goal.