i'm at school.

MILAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN

oh sh!t.. my teacher!!

... is the man.

it's nice when you work for a newspaper

Well Kaka redeemed his earlier misses with a fabulous goal

Forza Milan

Aha I didn't know that, I'm doing multimedia from September in Uni so may need to ask for help on a few things

Speaking of, was there some kind of shoving going on in the box near the end of extra time?

Not really shoving, just what happens in football nowadays

Oh, OK...I was also following the match on R&B Forums and they made it sound like something important.

Nah they are just what as known as... SCOTTISH!

@BMWTaylor: I'd suggest you watch a match replay or something. Make up your own mind. Here on milanfan, we can be nortoriously blind to our team's faults. Just ask Porty.

Boy that was intense. I thought I was going to have a heart attack or something. We did not play a great match but we didn't either play a horrible one. Celtic had its moments, but not any clamorous goal-occasions. On the other hand, we should have scored at least once in the regular time. I mean, all those chances... Still the most important thing is we're in the quarters. Now let's enjoy the moment and wait for Friday's draw. I just hope we won't encounter Roma.

FORZA MILAN!

Draw = Friday 11:00 UK Time.

Nice work! Are you saying what I think you're saying? (that you have access to un-watermarked pics from Getty? )

MIlan vs Roma in next champions league match atleast we beat celtic yeaaah~!

yeah we should avoid roma..hope we draw psv=)

He is! I've seen the game at a bar. Great game, even bigger Ricky Kaká! What a player he is, can't imagine Milan withou him. Forza RICKY!!!!

Edit: And I want that shoes!!!

Join the club, I swear that was one of the most intense matches I've ever watched.

Anyway, about the game. I thought we played very well - controlled it for nearly the whole 120mins. We looked a bit thin in attack, but our midfield was awesome tonight. My ratings:

Dida - 6.5
Oddo - 7
Bonera - 7.5
Maldini - 7
Jankulovski - 7.5
Gattuso - 6.5
Pirlo - 7
Ambrosini - 7
Seedorf - 7.5
Kaka - 8
Inzaghi - 6.5

Simic - n/a
Brocchi - 7
Gilardino - 6.5

Kaka had so many shots, but deserved them because he created most of the chances himself. If he had his shooting boots on he could of had 3 or 4 tonight.

I want Chelsea or Liverpool in the next round! Bring on Friday

anyone can give the video of Kaka's goal, I couldn't watch the match .

Thanks

Oddo played bad, didnt pass and took bad shots.

first of all I'm extremly happy and got crazy when the great, el magico KAKA scored.

We won, but how? Very difficult. And against who? against Celtic. Which comparing to other 7 teams that we may face in the next round are a pretty weak team.

So, if we countinue playing with one striker, and the way we played tonight, the Athens will remain just a dream.

Pippo? oh my God. Worst display oh his Milan career, and of course KAKA was a bit selfish all the match because he didn't have a player to cooperate with.

Than Gila came in. Same sh*t as Pippo (sorry for being arrogant, but thats the way it was). Maybe it wasn't Pippo's or Gila's fault that they were too bad tonight because they were alone in attack. But still, non of them really did something good.

KAKA - all the night he was dreaming what would happen if Ronaldo was playing tonight . Moreover, he was brilliant and selfish (but I can understand). He is the best in the world, and he's the only hope I have if we are to win CH.L. this year.

Furthermore, the defence wasn't shaky. Oddo and Marek didn't really push and their crosses were horrible, especially Oddo's. Bonera was good, and Maldini was PERFECT.

Ancelotti? not very good tonight.

All this sends to my post before the match:

We are playing Roma oh boy this is going to be a bumpy ride

Dida - 6.5
Oddo - 5.5
Bonera - 7
Maldini - 7.5
Jankulovski - 6
Gattuso - 6.5
Pirlo - 6.5
Ambrosini - 6.5
Seedorf - 7
Kaka - 8
Inzaghi - 4

Brocchi - 7
Gilardino - 5
Simic - n/a

http://www.dailymotion.com/FootballHeaven/video/2333436

I don't want Roma, PSV or Munich preferred.

as far as it's not from Premership, I wouldn't care.

First off ... COngratulations on the qualification

Secondly, we played a below par match .. We had our chances and so did Celtic, fortunatelly for us our defence and Dida were on their toes. Inzaghi was alone upfront, he didnt get much of a chance .. therefor our attack was mediocre.

Midfield was solid and Carlo was spot on in his substitutions .. Broochi gave us more dynamic play on the right flank.

Seedorf had a BIG game, he was the KEY player of the match .. Ambrosini was excellent in his clearences (especially the one against Nakamura) .. Pirlo was brilliant with his passes and ball control ... And ofcourse Ricky was MOM !!!


Overall .. Milan didnt play a game on a high level (the level that Milan usually plays on) .. But that is evident since the team that we were up against was a very physical side who prosper from set pieces and high balls ... Which in turn made us play cautiouslly not to conceed anything. I am overjoyed at this victory and I am sure Milan will carry on this path .. We will make it to the final, since we have a team that has been there on two occasions and know the route to Athenes very well


Whoever our opponents might be .. We will pass them regardless of how strong they are on paper


FORZA MILAN!

Thanks

@ Rossoneri7: You are the . Was afraid I'd have to take on the anti-Carlo mob on my own this time. Was even seeing Braveheart to inspire me. Though on second thought maybe I should have been seeing Rambo.

Read this!

- kaka ran from the centre circle to nutmeg Artur Boruc and it was calculated he covered 43 metres in 5.5 seconds - at a speed of 28km/h.

He is freakin' amazing.

Braveheart ?! How Ironic .. Since we were playing a scottish team

In anycase Jack (Abi .. .. Ok we'll keep that on the low) .. Carlo was great ..

4-4-1-1 was the right tactic to go by, given we cant out muscle them because of their physical presence .. He opted for this formation and .. Whoever doesnt think of Carlo as being a GREAT coach, knows nothing Cuz I could see each player (EVEN ODDO) being placed in a tactical position to control their left wing .. Ambrosini was breathing down Nakumora's neck, etc etc ... There were some mistakes, even Maldini made 3 today !!! ... But in the end, because of Carlo's tactical superiority in knockout tournaments, he was the manager with the upper hand !

Oh and FORZA JACK

My ratings for the game tonight

Dida: 8 - He pretty much could have slept right through the match, but when he was called upon he was steady and secure. And that's what we want from him, glad to see that he made up for the blunder he made in the weekend.

Janku: 6.5 - I didn't see him try to push up a lot and his crosses where pretty bad, he was very good in defence, and I think Carlo made both our fullbacks stay back since Celtic's only source of attack is their wings.

Bonera: 8 - Again, another flawless performance by Bonera.

Maldini: 7.5 - He made a couple of small errors here and there, but more then made up for them with some classy and timely tackles.

Oddo: Same as Janku

Ambro: 7.5 - Solid performance and was unlucky not to score from that header even if it would have been wrongly disallowed for a non offside.

Pirlo: 7 - What happened to our so called freekick specialist? He can't take a good freekick anymore! He should leave them to Seedorf from now on. But his passes and vision was great and also had a shot that could have easily been a goal if it wheren't for an amazing save.

Seedorf: 8 - I thought Clarenece was immense tonight, his shots wheren't so good though. Him and Kaka were combining brilliantly at times.

Kaka: 9 - Kaka was like a possesed man today, he was everywhere!! And he wasn't going to rest before he got that goal. He should have at least scored twice. But it doesn't matter since he scored that all important goal.

Pippo: 5.5 - I don't think he was even a factor in this game, just bad. He would have done much better if he would have had someone to partner him upfront. Plus he hasn't played a full match in quite a while, so he is excused.

Subs

Gila: same as Pippo, but he was holding up the ball quite well and kept winning us freekicks which ate up time in the final minutes of ET, so I guess he was good for something.

Brocchi: 6 - When he came on I was screeming at the TV, I thought why would Carlo make a like for like sub??? But he brought a new dynamic to our midfield and I think was very crucial for our win.

Simis: N/A

Carlo: 6 - The game was just begging for 2 strikers and I think that if we had started with Pippo next to Oli we would have finished the match off earlier. In fact that is the only complaint I have about Carlo, And I knew that if we where to play the xmas tree we would have to sweat blood before we score and surprise surprise that's what happened. Other then that I think his subs were spot on and worked very well even though I thought he was losing his mind when he made them.


Comments about the match

All in all it wasn't one of our best matches but I thought we played well. With the chances we created we really should have killed off the tie in regular time, but again our finishing cost us.

But that Celtic keeper is just class, it was pretty much him against our player sand he was pretty much resisting everything they where throwing at him.

btw, this is the 5th consecutive quarter final under Carlo, so anybody who says he's a bad coach should check these stats. No team has ever managed this feet before

Mah bro is drunk. Something I'm gonna go do as well. 5 am...who cares. Break out the vodka.

Ronaldo, Berlusconi and Galliani tonight.

Berlusconi at the end:
"We played good as always in this competition. In fact we're the only team that always is in the 1/4 finals lately (last 5-6 years).
Without Inter, Barcelona and Real Madrid I believe we're the best team in the 1/4 finals.
Ronaldinho? If he wants to leave his team we're in pole position for him."


Grande Silvio! Milano Ti Ama!

Hahahaha.....who's your daddy????

Thanks for that Porto.

I think Silvio is right, apart from Roma, who beat Lyon quite convincingly. I don't think there is any standout team in the 1/4.

Chelsea where mediocre against porto, Man U where really lucky that Lille's finishing is a s bad as ours, PSV are all about the defence, Roma took advantage of a very cr@ppy Lyon side, Valencia imo didn't deserve to go through since I thought Inter where better in both legs. And Liverpool should sand a thankyou fruit basket to Valdes for handing them the place in the 1/4 on a silver platter

Good post han

I have only one comment .,. Carlo .. His choice between starting w/ 2 strikers or one ... I think he did the correct thing, he is experienced and knows that playing at the San SIro without any leverage (0-0 at Celtic park) isnt a good result and Celtic were out there from the very start to get that precious away goal. So Carlo opted for one striker and he was spot on .. Even if the game went to penalties, at least he contained Celtics attemt to attack by playing to DMs and had Seedorf, Kaka, Pirlo, JAnku, and Oddo to move the team forward when the danger was taken care off in defence .. So overall, this victory is in a HUGE part Carlo's achievment.

Inzaghi had to play this game, either as a starter or a 2nd half sub, he had to play this game cuz his presence in the Celtic box is in itself a threat. But when he went back to pick up the ball, that is where his flaws were evident; but he was never that type to begin with So u could have been a bit more generous in ur ratings And Gilardino, I agree he did well to kill off the time remaining.

Yep, now that I think about it I think preventing that away goal was crucial but both Pippo and Gila when they where alone up there where totally ineffective at times our system was crying out for another striker to enter the fold since our target men where very isolated.

About Pippo I just think he was bad tonight he had a couple of really good chances and should have done better, at least trouble the keeper

yea...i'm the online guy for our local newspaper



Getty Images? ha...I laugh at Getty Images

Yeah he should have troubled the keeper more .. But then again, credit goes to their defence for holding out so strongly .. In anycase, he isn't the same super pippo that we all know he is .. Lets hope he brings in his prawness the next time he sets foot in the Champions League

Yeah .. The team have been used to having a support striker and Kaka has been trying to compensate for that, as of late, by playing wide at times ... Still, Shevchenko is Shevchenko there is no denying that he left his place empty. On the other hand, had Ronaldo been eligable for this tie

Oliviera ?! In Serie A he couldnt even keep hold of his ball because of the rough tackles ... So I dont think he would have had a chance against the physical play of Celtic, cuz they were agressive .. But I am still curious to know how he would have changed our game plan had he played ?! ... Nevertheless, this weak Milan team took us to the last 8 .. Which means it is on par with the Milan of seasons that passed .. I think this Milan team is a great team even if the team is missing a player like R9 or S7 .. It went through and that says alot, while many strong teams were knocked out (Inter )

Very true ^^^^

Who thinks we should go after Boruc for next season? Simply immense, What a keeper he is!!!

CL Report: Kaka’s Overtime Goal Sends AC Milan Through

AC Milan 1, Celtic 0

AC Milan advance 1-0 on aggregate.

A brave performance by the Scottish champions was not enough to help them hold Milan as the Rossoneri ultimately triumphed thanks to an extra time goal by their Brazilian star.

A brilliant performance by Kaka was highlighted by the young midfielder’s match-winning goal in extra time, which helped the Rossoneri to reach the last eight with more difficulty than expected against a solid Celtic side.

Milan started out strongly and after just 4 minutes Kaka had the opportunity to open the score, but his short range shot was well parried by the Boruc. However, two minutes later Celtic felt robbed as Maldini deflected a short range shot with his fist, but the referee waved play on.

In the 18th minute, Kaka worried the Scottish rearguard when following a Seedorf corner, the Brazilian player shot high from a favourable position.

Two minutes later it was Pirlo who tried his luck from a direct free-kick, but his shot went just wide. In the 23rd minute, Seedorf assisted Inzaghi who was however well anticipated by the ever present Naylor.

In the 25th minute it was yet again Kaka who went close to score, but his shot grazed the goal post. The Brazilian had another golden opportunity in the 38th minute, but McManus saved his goal from two metres.

In the second half, the match continued on the same path as Milan pushed forward to find the winning goal, whereas Celtic relied on their quick counter attacks to cause problems to the Rossoneri's defence.

The first 25 minutes of the second half neither side could create any real goal scoring opportunity as shots on goal were lacking, however the final 20 minutes proved to be an intense affair.

In the 61st minute, Inzaghi headed a Pirlo corner past Boruc, but Naylor saved on the line and a minute later the same player saved again on the line, this time from an Ambrosini header.

In the 84th minute, Pirlo found Maldini all alone inside the penalty area, but his header was miraculously saved by the unbeatable Boruc. Seedorf almost scored three minutes from the end, but his freekick was yet again parried by the Celtic keeper.

A minute later it was Kaka's turn to go close, but his shot from the edge of the penalty area hit the cross bar. That was the last opportunity before the referee whistled for the end of the regular 90 minutes.

Milan pressed on the accelerator and Kaka finally scored in the 93rd minute as he went past a defender and came all alone in front of Boruc who could do nothing to stop the Brazilian’s shot.

From then on, the Rossoneri decreased their push and Celtic started coming forward more often in search of the equalizer that could have sent the Scottish champions through. However, Milan held on well and in the end deserved the qualification to the quarter finals.

Boruc was great tonight and at Celtic park ... But I dont know how well he is doing in the scottish league .. Though Celtic is 1st in the league and, as they say, half the team is supposedly the keeper ... He does show promise and I'd think he would do well for Milan

This is Artur Boruc

ACMILAN.com

Celtic foiled by Kaká magic
Wednesday, 7 March 2007
by Richard Aikman
from San Siro

AC Milan advanced to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the sixth consecutive season but they needed extra time to secure a 1-0 victory over Celtic FC at San Siro.

Cool finish
Kaká finished clinically after a brilliant run three minutes into overtime, as the six-times European champions finally breached Celtic's resolute rearguard and silenced the vociferous away support.

Lively start
The Brazilian had been involved from the start, bringing Artur Boruc into action on four minutes after Paolo Maldini had found Clarence Seedorf in space. Seedorf threaded a pass through Stephen McManus's legs to Kaká, whose curling shot was palmed away by the Poland goalkeeper. Undeterred, the visitors came forward and had a penalty appeal turned down when Jiří Jarošík's angled strike came off Maldini in the area.

Crucial interventions
Kaká was the key figure, though, and he put Marek Jankulovski through with a perfectly-timed pass which the midfielder cut back for Filippo Inzaghi at the near post, only for McManus to make a vital block. Milan's next move required another such intervention, as Inzaghi shaped to despatch Seedorf's cross but was denied by Lee Naylor.

Kaká menace
Celtic advanced in search of an away goal yet were almost made to pay when Shunsuke Nakamura lost possession outside the Rossoneri box. The hosts broke in a flash, Jankulovski releasing Kaká down the left though the latter drove wide. Kaká was relishing his supporting role behind Inzaghi and was at the hub of everything Milan created, even conjuring a shot on goal from a prone position which was foiled by another goalline clearance on 37 minutes.

Inzaghi headers
Seven minutes after the restart Inzaghi had his first attempt on goal. The impressive Jankulovski's left-wing run and cross warranted more but the angle was too tight for the veteran striker whose effort found the side-netting. As the game wore on, the Scottish champions ventured forward more and only the diving feet of Maldini prevented substitute Thomas Gravesen's half-volley flying goalwards. At the other end, the Italian outfit had two headers from Inzaghi cleared by McManus and Naylor.

Intricate moves
Milan still dominated possession with Andrea Pirlo, Seedorf and Kaká weaving numerous intricate exchanges, although Celtic continued to hold firm with Boruc making comfortable stops from Pirlo and Massimo Oddo. Carlo Ancelotti's men spurned a great chance when Maldini's header was saved and he slipped at the crucial moment as the ball fell into his path with the goalkeeper prostrate. In a frenetic finale, Boruc brilliantly clawed a Seedorf free-kick away from the top corner, before Kaká's long-range strike rebounded off the bar.

Extra-time clincher
Kaká had been threatening to score all game and his winner was worth the wait. After shaking off the challenge of Neil Lennon, he ran half the length of the pitch before slipping his shot through the legs of Boruc. Milan pushed for a two-goal cushion and Pirlo almost provided it from distance only for Boruc to save. Seedorf and Massimo Ambrosini also tried their luck but the honours went to Kaká.

Bravo Milan!! Grazie ragazzi!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a good game IMO... one striker or not we created many chances! And Celtic was nowhere!!

Kaka is quite a good player I think! Thanks Ricky, you are the best!!

I wish Maldini had scored the header in the end... that would be something!! Il cuore di Milan scoring a rare but so precious goal!! Forza Il Capitano!!

There won't be no trashing on Sunday, Portugal. Even if you want to see Ibra joking with our defence again, this time there won't be no Kaladze to hand him the goals (hopefully... ) !!


... FORZA MILAN!!!!!!!!!!!

The only team of last season quarter-finalists to be on Friday's draw...

We had sooooooooooooooooooooo manyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy chances that we didnt finish. Im very very happy we won and we deserved to win. I hate all this talk about being awarded a penalty cause maldini hand balled it. Its not like he could do anything as he was slide tackling, the striker shot as his hand, it wasn't intentional. Maldini is not that type of player to play by the refs calls, he is a true defender. Nakamura dived against ambro is what i think happened. Ambro brushed against him and he fell, it looked way too ackward. Kaka thank god finally scores after like 15 chances. And he desrved the goal. he was working very hard, i dont know what has gotten into him these days . Hopefully he plays like that in the derby. FORZA MILAN

this is our sixth consecutive quarter final actually.

And I also think we played a good game, there where some confusion at times but I think we handled it very well.

But that ref was very frustrating with continually stopping the play for nothing, plus Pippo should have been given the advantage when he was through on goal instead of him giving us the free-kick



Very true.

Anyway, Onward and upwards, Forza Milan!! Once again we have to be the pride of Italy in Europe

This guy is disgusting

Maldini was trying to tackle and the ball hit his hand, he didn't have any intention of blocking it, that was never a penalty.

And Nakamura after all the bad mouthing about how Italian dive he does one himself. He went into Ambro looking for the penalty and when they touched he fell down.



And how where Celtic the better side exactly. I don't think trying to put a wall in front of your goal and going into tackles when we approached their area constitutes as being the better side, iffor their goalie and our bad finishing they would have been out by halftime