Milan's Pioli laments scoring only once despite Napoli's 10-man disadvantage.

After their fellow Italians finished the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal matchup with 10 men, Stefano Pioli claimed that AC Milan should have given themselves more than a one-goal lead.

After Ismael Bennacer's first-half goal, Milan had a quarter of an hour to increase their lead before Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa was dismissed for two quick bookings.

The only thing Pioli said to reporters was, "We should have been more rational.

Though it's unfortunate, they gave a lot. Let's hope for the next one. It's a good result following a good performance.

With a chance to face local rivals Inter in the semifinals after they easily defeated Benfica on Tuesday, Milan must now hold onto a slim lead at the Stadio Maradona in Naples.

Napoli is a good team with a lot of quality and the team that has thus far scored the most goals in the Champions League, so it will be a difficult match, said Pioli.

"We faced a lot of challenges tonight... Napoli will likely attack us, so we must give it everything on the field. No one here believes we've already won, so we won't make a mistake in our strategy.

Following recent tensions between fans and owner Aurelio De Laurentiis, Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti threatened to resign if the crowd didn't create a threatening atmosphere for the second leg.

Home games have been less exciting than one might have anticipated after such a successful season for such an ardent fanbase due to protests from hard-core supporters against De Laurentiis over what they perceive to be his attempts to kick them out of the stadium.

The bizarre atmosphere during Napoli's four-goal home defeat to Milan in the league earlier this month featured little chanting and even fights breaking out between home fans.

"I'll give up if it happens again on the second leg. Because these players are sensitive to what is going on around them, which is why we are arguing for them, said Spalletti.

"We played in a setting that wasn't conducive to our success. It is inexplicable why you wouldn't support the team at that time.