CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINALS

Milan made life difficult for themselves yet again at Old Trafford, but Susy Campanale notes there was no hope for Manchester United when it came to the crunch

King Kaka

When the going gets tough, the tough get going, as that great philosopher Billy Ocean once sang. It could be used as Milan’s Champions League anthem, as they have fought back from a faltering first leg against both Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals and Manchester United in the semis to set up a repeat of the 2005 Final. Whereas Sir Alex Ferguson’s boys melted in the rain at the San Siro, Kaka and his band of merry men got stuck in for a crushing 3-0 victory, 5-3 on aggregate. The Premiership giants had been confident after coming from 2-1 down at Old Trafford to win 3-2 in stoppages with Wayne Rooney’s brace, but old hand Clarence Seedorf knew the drill by now. “We know that we must get a victory to qualify and this team has proved that when it needs to win, it does not fail,” said the only man to have won the Champions League with three different clubs. “I may seem strange for saying this, but I believe it is an advantage for us that we lost. We made a mistake in the final minute and of course winning at Old Trafford would have been the best, but having taken the lead away from home in such a wonderful stadium gives you the feeling that you’re close to your objective.”

That approach shone through in the first half of the second leg, where United were under a constant red and black siege. “Our mentality changed and so did that of Manchester,” agreed Carlo Ancelotti after the 3-0 result. “That defeat in England made a real difference and we built our victory on the way we started the match, taking the upper hand immediately, and that was thanks to the fact we knew we had to win. I think there are teams who are better at Cup competitions. These games are very special in terms of tempo, determination and focus. I said beforehand that no team in the world can prepare for this tie like Milan. We manage to create the best conditions to express ourselves on the field. I think a first half like that was the dream of all Coaches. It was a perfect performance and we won the tie in those 45 minutes.” Ferguson could not help but agree after his side was steamrollered off the pitch. “They were sharper and quicker to the ball and I think they’ve been good winners,” he mused. “We were on the back foot all the time and found it difficult. In fairness, we never looked like we were going to score.” There was no doubting the star man, as Ricky Kaka scored three of Milan’s five goals over the tie, often humiliating

Kaka was undoubtedly the star of the Champions League semi-finals, netting three of Milan’s goals as they eased past Man Utd

defenders Nemanja Vidic, Gabriel Heinze and Patrice Evra with his skill and pace, not to mention destroying Cristiano Ronaldo in their personal ‘duel’ for the title of best player in the world right now. “I am not at the top of my game yet. I’m better than last season, but I have many more areas to improve upon,” said the ever-modest Brazilian who has been transformed from a trequartista to a real hitman. “I need to learn, improve, adapt and figure out the kind of things that forwards do so I can become a more complete player. It is brilliant to be so close to the goal, but this is what I have to learn, how to make the most of the finish rather than provide the final ball for my teammates.” The other beneficiary from this tactical switch has been Seedorf, who can finally play in the role behind the forwards he loves so much. “If you beat Manchester United 3-0, then you can’t say it was anything less than perfect. We are very proud of what we have achieved and truly happy for Milan, the fans and all of Italy, as it shows their football is still a dominant force,” smiled the Dutchman. The second leg victory was achieved without captain Paolo Maldini, who limped off midway through the Old Trafford encounter with a recurring knee

16 Calcio Italia June 2007
Clarence Seedorf gave a sublime showing against Manchester United to reach his fifth Champions League Final

SEMI-FINAL RISULTATI

1st leg, Apr 24/25 Man Utd 3-2 Milan Ronaldo 6 Kaka 22, 37 Rooney 60, 91 (73,820) Manchester United: Van Der Sar; O’Shea, Brown, Heinze, Evra; Fletcher, Carrick, Scholes; C Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs Milan: Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Maldini (Bonera 46), Jankulovski; Gattuso (Brocchi 53), Pirlo, Ambrosini, Seedorf; Kaka; Gilardino (Gourcuff 84) Ref: Vassaras (Gre)

Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool J Cole 29 (39,483) Chelsea: Cech; Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; Makelele, J Cole (Wright-Phillips 84), Mikel, Lampard; Shevchenko (Kalou 76), Drogba Liverpool: Reina; Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Riise; Gerrard, Alonso (Pennant 83), Mascherano, Zenden; Kuyt, Bellamy (Crouch 52) Ref: Merk (Ger) 2nd leg, May 1/2 Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea Agger 22 (42,554) Liverpool: Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Riise; Pennant (Alonso 78), Gerrard, Mascherano (Fowler 118), Zenden; Kuyt, Crouch (Bellamy 106) Chelsea: Cech; Ferreira, Essien, Terry, A Cole, Mikel, Makelele (Geremi 118), Lampard, J Cole (Robben 98); Drogba, Kalou (Wright-Phillips 107) Ref: Mejuto Gonzalez (Spa) (1-1 on agg, Liverpool win 4-1 on pens)

problem. He was followed by Gennaro Gattuso and Ringhio’s absence proved a turning point in that opening match. “I think we were penalised by the double injury, as you feel the difference when champions like Maldini and Gattuso go off,” explained Vice-President Adriano Galliani. “Without wanting to do down Daniele Bonera or Cristian Brocchi, if Maldini and Gattuso had stayed on I doubt we would have lost. The fact remains when Rino went off we were winning 2-1.” Much like Italy in the World Cup, one gets the feeling Milan have been spurred on by the Calciopoli scandal to prove themselves. Originally excluded from the tournament, they had to hastily rearrange their pre-season training with holidays cut short and only two weeks to prepare for the preliminary round,

including a warning from UEFA that they would be ‘keeping an eye’ on the club’s actions. “It was a campaign that never looked like reaching a positive end, and yet with character and talent we fought back to reach the top three in Serie A and the Champions League Final,” said President Silvio Berlusconi. “My motto for Milan is stronger than envy, stronger than misfortune, stronger than injustice.” Gattuso even managed to surprise himself at the final whistle. “We are happy, as reaching the Final at the end of a season that started this way is incredible. Not even we thought we could do it! At the end of the day UEFA complimented us for the football we play and that has to fill us with pride. Nobody even bet a Euro on our chances, but we proved our true worth.”

Sevilla’s Italian star Enzo Maresca raises the UEFA Cup

Milan 3-0 Man Utd Kaka 11 Seedorf 30 (78,500) Gilardino 79 Ref: De Bleeckere (Bel) Milan: Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Kaladze, Jankulovski; Gattuso (Cafu 84), Pirlo, Ambrosini, Seedorf; Kaka (Favalli 86); Inzaghi (Gilardino 66) Manchester United: Van Der Sar; O’Shea (Saha 77), Brown, Vidic, Heinze; Fletcher, Scholes, Carrick; C Ronaldo, Giggs; Rooney (Milan win 5-3 on agg)

UEFA CUP Quarter-finals, Apr 5/12 AZ Alkmaar (Hol) 1-4 W Bremen (Ger) B Leverkusen (Ger) 0-4 Osasuna (Spa) Sevilla (Spa) 4-3 Tottenham (Eng) Espanyol (Spa) 3-2 Benfica (Por) (aggregate scores) Semi-finals, Apr 26/May 3 Espanyol 5-1 W Bremen Osasuna 1-2 Sevilla (aggregate scores) Final, May 16 (Glasgow) Sevilla 2-2 Espanyol (Sevilla win 3-1 on penalties)

WIN LEGENDS DVDs Some true legends have played in the European Cup, and some true legends of the English game are featured in the DVDs we have to give away this month. Denis Law, who spent one season at Torino, and George Best are two of the icons of 1960s football and we have DVDs spanning the highs and lows of each player's career to give away. To stand a chance of winning one of the DVDs just answer the following simple question. Q. Which Italian side did Denis Law play for? Ring our competition hot-line number 0905 162 0038 or text LEGEND followed by your answer, name and address to 85123 The fi rst fi ve names picked out with the correct answer when the competition closes on July 1 will win one DVD. All calls cost 50p per minute. Text message entrants will be charged £1.00 plus your normal text message rate. Editor’s decision fi nal. No correspondence entered into.

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