Gennaro Gattuso Hails Krzysztof Piatek After Incredible Performance in First Milan Start

Milan manager was full of praise for striker Krzysztof Piatek on Tuesday night, as they beat Napoli 2-0 in the Coppa Italia. New signing Piatek scored two first

Milan manager was full of praise for striker Krzysztof Piatek on Tuesday night, as they beat Napoli 2-0 in the Coppa Italia.

New signing Piatek scored two first half goals at San Siro to send the Rossoneri through to the semi-finals, as they look to win the Coppa Italia for the first time in 16 years.

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Gattuso heavily praised the Polish striker as he spoke to the media after the game. Speaking to Rai Sport (as quoted by Calciomercato) he said: “Everyone did well today but Piatek was a difference maker. That second goal was incredible.

“He is an amazing striker and we are happy to have him on our side, that's for sure.”

Milan produced an excellent team performance to qualify for the final four of the cup, scoring both goals within the opening half hour. Gattuso said: “I want to compliment my players, we really put in a great performance against a very good team.”

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Visitors Napoli were unlucky on the night, missing big opportunities throughout the game and being consistently unable to capitalise on their chances. However the Rossoneri were clinical, with Piatek especially on target on Tuesday night.

Speaking about the team performance, Gattuso added: “We are in good shape and we have more quality now. Napoli have a lot of talent and we defended against them in a perfect way.”

Piatek wasn’t the only strong performer on the night, with Chelsea loanee Tiemoué Bakayoko also producing an excellent performance. Speaking about the Frenchman, Gattuso said: “Well he has grown a lot and has been giving us a lot game in and game out.”

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Milan now progress to the semi-finals of the competition, where they will play a two-legged tie to reach the final. The first leg is on 27 February, with the return leg not being played until April.