AC Milan 3 Man United 0 (Agg 5-3)

Not much of a contest as AC Milan advanced to the Champions League final, and a rematch of the instant classic with Liverpool from 2005, with a 3-0 thrashing of Manchester United.


AC was on the attack from the start, which included a steady rain at the beginning of the match, and Man U looked a bit uncertain in both attacking and defending, and it was in the latter aspect which took its toll. Not sure if even the presence of Rio Ferdinand, still out with a groin injury, would have made a difference in the game. Kaka's opening goal in the 11th minute was a well-executed finish off of a header that left the Man U defenders flat footed, but it was the second goal, by Clarence Seedorf in the 30th, which left no doubt about the outcome of this match, and of who would advance to the finals. It was on this goal where some sloppy defending had to have left even the most ardent Man U fan with a queasy feeling in their stomach, coupled with the fact that by this point Man U had yet to really offer a serious attack on AC goalie Dida.



AC was a bit physical with Cristiano Ronaldo, though I believe the referee was correct in not calling a foul every time Ronaldo hit the grass, and about the only good chance that Man U had for the match was when Darren Fletcher booted a wide open shot, from in front of the goal, over the crossbar in the second half.



Special mention to AC's bulldog-like Gennaro Gattuso, who raised an extended middle finger to somebody from the vistors after a heated tackle, caught on camera for millions to see world wide.



Well done to AC Milan, the rematch of that classic title bout from just two years ago is just as irresistible a fixture as having an all-English final between two bitter rivals would've been. Can LFC handle the blitz that AC Milan produced, both today and two years ago? Can Rafa and the fans urge their heroes onward again if they do, and will AC's coach Carlo Ancelotti let that happen again? That's why they play the games, and at first, I'd have to go with the Italian club, they'll be too eager to show that 2005 was an accident, but Liverpool will certainly have the mental fortitude not to let what happened in that first half occur again. Should be another classic on the 23rd of May in Athens.


RECAP