Milan beats Man United to reach Champions League final
AC Milan reached the Champions League final by beating Manchester United 3-0 Wednesday in the second leg and advancing 5-3 on total goals.
AC Milan reached the Champions League final by beating Manchester United 3-0 Wednesday in the second leg and advancing 5-3 on total goals.
Milan got goals from Kaka, Clarence Seedorf and substitute Alberto Gilardino to advance to the May 23 title game against Liverpool in Athens, Greece.
"The way we played the first half I think is the dream of every coach," Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We played perfectly,"
Liverpool, a five-time European champion, defeated Chelsea 4-1 on penalty kicks Tuesday in the other semifinal after a 1-0 win put the teams even at 1-1 on total goals.
Kaka, who scored both goals in the 3-2 loss last week at Old Trafford, gave Milan the lead in the 11th minute. The Brazilian beat United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar after Seedorf headed the ball into his path.
Seedorf made it 2-0 in the 30th, controlling a cross from the right side with his chest and shooting past Van der Sar. Gilardino scored in the 78th after running into the penalty area alone and looping the ball over the goalkeeper.
The result ended United's hopes of repeating its 1999 triple of the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup titles.
"I think they were better prepared physically, United manager Alex Ferguson said. "They were certainly sharper and quicker to the ball and pressed really well."
Milan has won the European Cup six times and will be playing in the final for the third time in the last five years. The title game will be a rematch of the 2005 final when Liverpool overturned a 3-0 halftime deficit and won the title 3-2 on penalty kicks.
"When Liverpool won, a few players were already thinking about revenge for the 2005 final," Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said. "The Istanbul wound is still fresh in our hearts."
Milan, which has never lost to United over two legs, also knocked the English team out of the competition in the semifinals in 1958 and 1969.
United's best chance came from captain Ryan Giggs, who shot straight at Milan goalkeeper Dida in the 20th minute. The Red Devils also failed to score on its last visit to the San Siro in 2005, losing 1-0 in the first knockout round.
"You put your hands up and say, 'We played a good side tonight,"' Ferguson said. "But we gave the goals away cheaply."
Milan was without captain Paolo Maldini because of a knee injury from the first leg.