AC Milan sink Liverpool 2-1

Filippo Inzaghi was the Italian hero last night in Greece during the ninety-minute revenge-seeking battle in the 2006-07 UEFA Championships final at the Olympic stadium that was bathed in red by Liverpool fans. The Merseysiders looked every inch better than the Rosseneris or so it was said before the match but despite an 88th minute comeback neither Gerard nor his men could produce the magic of Turkey two years ago.The match looked like it was going the Istanbul way but unfortunately there was no repeat neither of the miraculous comeback nor the scintillating performance that marked that night. But Milan took revenge.
The night at Acropolis clearly belonged to AC Milan though many commentators and experts claiming to be objective bystanders but cloaked as Liverpool fans claimed that the Reds were a better side. But in the end, Maldini’s men quietly stole the thunder away from Steven Gerard and his boys. Milan kept the ball, made some swift passes, did some sweeping moves and of course demonstrated some sublime touches. Liverpool did the same too. The only difference was that Maldini’s men kept their calm and nerve even against the intense and mounting pressure from Liverpool, like that sublime pass from Kaka to Inzaghi that sealed Liverpool’s fate in the closing minutes of the game.
The opening ceremony at Athens resembled the opening of a Liverpool stadium. The Olympic stadium was awash in red despite a ticketing row and the Liverpool fans complaining of unavailability of tickets. There were an estimated forty thousand Liverpool fans to cheer their club in the stadium with a capacity of 63800.
AC Milan was dressed in white and Liverpool in red. Gattuso was seen inspiring his team mates inside the tunnel while Kaka smilingly raised his right thumb to someone in the Liverpool side. While the teams walked out of the tunnel into the stadium the commentators and experts drew from trivia to comment that Liverpool had won every time when their opponents were dressed in white. Liverpool fans would have wanted to believe such roadside rubbish but thankfully the Italian side did not leave any room for such superstitions to come true.
First Half
The match got off to a brisk start. In the opening minutes skipper Steven Gerrard spotted Pennant and delivered a cross but it was a bit short for the right winger to meet the ball. Gerard’s men took on the Italians early on the match while Benitez wanted everything fine-tuned from the sidelines.
The first corner came off from Carragher and was taken by the Milan specialist Pirlo but the Italian side couldn’t convert it.
The first scare from the Merseysiders came when Pennant caught Milan snoozing and took his first shot against the goal that was nicely saved by Dida. The clearance was met by Nesta and he put the ball away and warded off the danger. Pennant’s crosses come with such ferocity and high velocity that on the eleventh minute he picked up Gerard but it was so fast that Gerard couldn’t control the ball.
The first scare from the Italian side came when Jankulovski sent a beautiful pass, a lovely chip from the outside of his right foot from the left flank, to Kaka who deftly controlled it on his chest and fired straight into the goal. The ball took a dip and bounced before it was comfortably saved by Reina.
Liverpool showed a bit of recklessness and committed frequent fouls. The Reds brought down more white shirts but the referee, Herbert Fandel, decided to keep the play on.
Gerrard was brought down by Nesta in the 18th minute on the left flank. Agger brought down Kaka in the 22nd minute but was lucky enough not to have earned a booking.
On the 25th minute, Pennant ran with a sweeping move on to his right and delivered a brilliant pass to Gerrard who was waiting in front of the AC Milan goal but the Liverpool skipper’s shot went high above the post.
Liverpool kept the ball and had a chance to draw first blood when Xabi Alonso’s shot just missed the far post by a few yards. Pennant and Finnan were raining crosses from the right to their captain on the left but somehow the attack was met and blunted by a forest of white shirts.
Liverpool’s first corner was taken by Pennant on the 30th minute. Immediately after, Riise delivered a thunderbolt from forty feet but went high above the bar.
Gattuso earned the first booking of the night after he brought down Alonso with his trademark sliding tackle in the 40th minute. In the 45th minute, just outside the box and 22 metres away from the Liverpool goal, Kaka was brought down by Alonso. Dead ball expert Pirlo put all his power and life into that kick that it went past the defence wall, took a deflection off Inzaghi’s arm and found the Liverpool net. Liverpool were one goal down but they had the second half and that miraculous comeback two years ago to draw their strength from.
It looked at the end of the first half Liverpool had the better of Milan and had plenty of chances. Zenden had lovely chances in the opening few minutes. Pennant was in great position and did some blazing runs on the right flank but somehow his bag of tricks did not open way for a Liverpool goal.
Second Half
In the opening minutes of the second half Nesta gave away a corner to Liverpool. Zenden who took the corner couldn’t find any of his men in the box. The Liverpool attack was running into a forest of white shirts. The second booking came in the 50th minute when Jankulovski brought down Pennant. Kaka ran brilliantly a couple of times straight into the Liverpool defence before he was brought down.
The Australian, Harry Kewell replaced Zenden in the 55th minute. Carragher got a yellow card for bringing down Kaka in the 60th minute just outside the box. Pirlo took the shot, it curved to the far post but went over the bar. Gerrard got a chance in the 70th minute but drove straight into Dida’s hands. There was something in the air. It was Steven Gerrard, making swift spirited runs into the Milan defence with his inspiring play. Riise delivered another thundering left foot again in the 75th minute but was way off the sidebar.
Nesta worked hard and covered more ground at the back to provide cushion to the ageing limbs of his captain Paolo Maldini.
Milan won a couple of corners in the 80th minute but couldn’t convert both of them. Benitez, almost running out of strategy, brought in replaced Mascherano with Peter Crouch. Crouch, tall and gangly did put up his foot in the challenge but it was all too late. In the meanwhile Milan pulled out Jankulovski and sent in Kaladze. In the last ten minutes Kaka had a couple of chances but squandered it away.
But the Brazilian was the architect of the second goal that sunk Liverpool. Kaka received a pass from the midfield and before Gerard’s defence could react found Inzaghi on his right and swiftly rolled the ball towards the Italian forward. Inzaghi did what Maldini and Ancelotti must have told him in the dressing room. He received the ball and with blistering speed went past the diving Liverpool goalkeeper and netted it with his inside of his right foot well past Dida’s hands at a very difficult angle in the 82nd minute.
Crouch threatened with a powerful shot in the last five minutes but Dida came up with a brilliant save to punch the ball away.
A welter of substitutions was made in the dying minutes to run down the watch. Arbeloa came in for Finnan and the Italian hero, Inzaghi, was replaced by Gilardino. Two minutes before the final whistle, Liverpool struck in what seemed to be their comeback goal with Kuyt’s header in the 88th minute. The magic and miracle of Istanbul suddenly cast its spell over the Olympic stadium in Athens. But by now Steven Gerrard and his team had thrown in the towel even when the match was going into three minutes of injury time.
Italy already has the world cup and now an Italian side the Championships silver to boot. Berlusconi must have lost to Prodi in the Presidential elections but his Milan team made him proud last night by bringing home the coveted honour.
Steven Gerrard walked in front, climbed the forty steps to receive the medal from Micheal Platini, President of UEFA. Platini seemed happy for the trophy stays close to France. Silvio Berlusconi was by the side of his captain, Maldini while he received the trophy. The stadium rained red and black confetti and streamers, the colour of blood that runs thick in the Rosseneris who kept quiet before the match and killed the Merseysiders.
The party will go on for sometime in northern Italy. It will be hard for Gerard and his men as they travel to Anfield for he and his side had arrived in Greece to prove that the 2005 victory was not a fluke.
Alas, that was not to be.