Paolo Maldini was emotional and proud after Milan secured Champions League Round of 16 qualification. ‘We must be ambitious and I think we’ll be a dark horse in the knockouts. This is only the beginning.’
The Rossoneri needed only a point against RB Salzburg to be sure of their place in the next phase of the competition, but went all out with a 4-0 hammering at San Siro.
Olivier Giroud scored two, provided an assist for Rade Krunic, then Junior Messias added a fourth in stoppages.
“We must be ambitious, we are happy. From tonight, we can start talking seriously about Europe,” Maldini told Amazon Prime Video Italia.
“We started this project four years ago, this is the year we need to push hard. We want to be protagonists in Italy to then return to having the European dimension that Milan have always enjoyed historically.
“It is not easy, because we are a long way off the others in economic terms, but I still think Milan will be a dark horse in the draw for the Round of 16.”
They are second in the group behind Chelsea, so will face one of the group winners in the next round as second seeds.
Potential opponents in the Round of 16 draw on November 7 for Milan are FC Porto, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur.
It is the first time that Milan have reached the Champions League knockouts since 2013-14.
“We are happy, this team is young, but is becoming mature. Perhaps two years ago we would’ve celebrated this result more, but I think that’s a very good sign of how our ambitions have changed.”
The qualification arrived just days after Milan announced they have extended the contract of coach Stefano Pioli.
“The coach was never in doubt, the defeat to Torino was not an influence and neither would’ve been a bad result this evening. We still would’ve extended his contract to 2025.
“I am hungry for success and I love seeing the same attitude in the team and throughout the club. Winning the Scudetto was proof that everyone gave that extra 0.5% to overcome Inter. It can happen again in the Champions League. When we miss that extra something, that is when it will become difficult.”
Milan are behind Real Madrid the most successful club in the history of the Champions League, so Maldini warns they want to get back there.
“This is only the beginning. We must never forget what this club represented in the history of football. We cannot be sated by what we achieved.”