Pioli's first reaction as Milan reaches Champions quarter-finals

AC Milan reached the first UEFA Champions League quarter-final for 11 years after a goalless draw away to Tottenham in the second leg of their round of 16 ties. AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli confirmed that his team deserved to qualify for the quarter-finals of the current edition of the Champions League competition, at the expense of its English rival, Tottenham. Pioli said to "Football Italia": "Our team deserved to qualify because it succeeded from the beginning in the struggle against a strong opponent. We played with great personality, and therefore we achieved a well-deserved victory after two good matches." The Milan coach added, "Playing in the Champions League is very rewarding. Either we win it, as there is nothing impossible in football, or we have to put ourselves back in the league to reach the top four." Pioli continued his statements, saying, "Now the situation has changed, the team is working with more caution, we have good defenders in playing in this way, it was the right time for a change, but we did not change our concepts, certain situations gave us more solidity." Milan claimed a 1-0 aggregate victory after a goalless draw on a freezing night in London as the hosts crashed out with a whimper. AC Milan qualified for the round of 16 of the Champions League for the first time since 2011/12, and also the most extreme team from north London (a 4-0 win in the first leg, and a 0-3 loss in the second leg against Arsenal).