[misha]

2006-2007 UEFA Champions' League final

Wednesday, 23 May 2007, 20:45 CET

Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece

This post has been edited by mishale: May 2 2007, 10:26 PM

[han2503]

Pay-back time for Milan

On an evening when the blackest of clouds swirled above Milan and swamped the city with torrential rain, another force of nature was gathering momentum. Having watched Liverpool FC reach the final of the UEFA Champions League the night before, nothing was going to prevent AC Milan earning their shot at revenge.

Old wound
Six of the side that started against Manchester United FC on Wednesday had played in the heart-wrenching defeat on penalties in the final against Liverpool two years ago. The manner in which the Rossoneri set about dismantling United's 3-2 first-leg lead suggested there was no way they were going to pass up the opportunity of finally healing a deep wound. "That defeat still burns," admitted Paolo Maldini after the game. The 38-year-old veteran defender sat out the second leg at San Siro, but will be fit in time to contest his eighth final at the end of the month. "We played better than them [in 2005] and had the match won but we have every faith that we'll win this time around."

Call to arms
"Win for us" was the demand, in English, held up by the tifosi in a huge red-and-white mosaic behind one goal. The message was simple and followed to the letter as Carlo Ancelotti's team tore at United from kick-off. "Watching your team play as we did in the first half is the dream of every coach," Milan's Carlo Ancelotti said. "In the first 45 minutes we played perfect football." Milan were playing the Premiership leaders at their own game: power, speed and sublime skill. Kaká led the charge, driving in the first after eleven minutes for his perfect tenth in the competition this term. The brilliant Brazilian dictated the pace, his touch and vision pulling the visitors in all directions.

Seedorf strike
Gennaro Gattuso supplied the brawn, snapping at the heels of players in white and refusing to let them settle on the slippery, sodden surface. He took Cristiano Ronaldo out of the game, jumping away from one tackle punching the air after brushing the Portuguese winger to the floor. Milan's fans hardly needed further encouragement to raise the decibel levels; their reaction to Clarence Seedorf's superb strike on 30 minutes to double the advantage had already drowned out the sound of rain battering the roof of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. Alberto Gilardino iced the cake with a late third to leave San Siro shaking under the weight of Milan's delirious supporters.

Milan's night
For United it was a sad end to a thrilling run that had seen Sir Alex Ferguson's men dazzle in a seven-goal rout of AS Roma and again at Old Trafford against Milan. There was to be no repeat of Turin 1999 when United battled back so bravely against Juventus to claim a place in the final. Here there was no way back. For the first time in 30 matches Sir Alex’s formidable goal machine was kept off the scoresheet. As is so often the case, it was Milan's night.

Ancelotti outstanding
The Rossoneri's record in Europe since Ancelotti arrived at the helm in 2001 is outstanding: finalists three times, winning one, and semi-finalists last season. This year, though, is something special even by those high standards. The turnaround has been remarkable in a campaign that began with their very participation in the tournament in doubt. They also had to endure city rivals FC Internazionale Milano's utter dominance of Serie A following their points deduction. Here, the pendulum swung back towards the red and blacks.

'Incredible achievement'
"It is an incredible achievement," Gattuso told uefa.com. "It seemed easy but we know what we've been through this season and it hasn't been at all easy to get to this point. Back in November-December we hadn't had a proper pre-season to prepare, we were a side that was totally lost. We weren't in good shape at all and everyone was criticising us - rightly so because our league position was awful. It was a terrible time. To reach a third [final] in five years is unbelievable, an extraordinary achievement. Only great sides can do this. This is why we're so happy, because we were being slaughtered from all quarters and now we've reached the final."

High drama
The thunder and lightning crashing around the ground had provided a dramatic backdrop to an explosive tie. The real fireworks, though, will be saved for Athens. "We are in peak physical condition at the right time," Ancelotti warned. "We did a great job during the Christmas break with this goal in mind and now we’re seeing the results." With a seventh crown in their sights, Milan are in no mood to let club football's most coveted prize slip from their grasp again.

[Rossoneri7]

High drama
The thunder and lightning crashing around the ground had provided a dramatic backdrop to an explosive tie. The real fireworks, though, will be saved for Athens. "We are in peak physical condition at the right time," Ancelotti warned. "We did a great job during the Christmas break with this goal in mind and now we’re seeing the results." With a seventh crown in their sights, Milan are in no mood to let club football's most coveted prize slip from their grasp again.

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