Champions League: Ismaël Bennacer in the history of Algerian football

Ismaël Bennacer after his goal in the quarter-final first leg against Napoli, April 12, 2023. REUTERS - DANIELE MASCOLO

Text by: Farid Achache Follow

2 min

AC Milan, who beat Napoli 1-0 in the first leg, qualified for the semi-finals of the Champions League by drawing 1-1 in the return leg on Tuesday, April 18 at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium. The Algerian international is largely part of this performance and writes his name in the history book of national football.

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AC Milan, thanks to a dry strike from Ismaël Bennacer, had taken an option on the semi-finals of the Champions League by winning the physical challenge against Napoli (1-0) in the quarter-final first leg. In the return match, AC Milan resisted with a draw (1-1), and the international now enters the history of Algerian football.

Indeed, not many have had the opportunity to play a semi-final of the Champions League. Bennacer is the sixth Algerian player to qualify for the last four of the C1, after Rabah Madjer, Ali Benarbia, Houssem Aouar, Riyad Mahrez and Aïssa Mandi.

« He's a very strong player, very smart tactically. »

The Rossoneri midfielder is now part of this small group after this 100% Italian duel. After his first European Cup goal at San Siro in the first leg, Bennacer became the third Fennec to score in the quarter-finals, emulating compatriots Rabah Madjer and Riyad Mahrez. "It's very special to score at San Siro. It's an important goal for the team and for me. We all dream of doing that. We will have to materialize in the return match, it will be complicated in Naples, "he said, smiling.

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He's a very strong player, very smart tactically. He is a very calm and calm player off the pitch, but he wants to bite the ball on the pitch," his team-mate at the Greens, Faouzi Ghoulam, told Sky Sports.

On the pitch of Napoli, in the second leg, Bennacer was particularly effective in recovery and recovery. Since the start of the 2022/2023 Champions League, Ismaël Bennacer has played eight games and scored one goal. The Milan club had not reached the last four since 2007.

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  • Algeria
  • Italy
  • UEFA Champions League