The Hindu : Inter holds AC Milan to goalless draw

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 09, 2003

Sport

Sport - Football

Inter holds AC Milan to goalless draw

Milan May 8 . Inter Milan withstood steady second-half pressure from AC Milan on Wednesday to hold its cross-town rival to a goalless draw in their Champions Cup first-leg semifinal.

AC Milan, which will be the away team in the second leg on Tuesday, can advance to the final on away goals while playing in its own stadium.

Both AC Milan and Inter play their home matches at the San Siro.

``It's a small advantage that we'll try to exploit ... the only regret is that we were unable to score one goal,'' AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said.

``We deserved victory.''

Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko squandered two second-half scoring chances for AC Milan while Inter's Uruguayan Alvaro Recoba missed a pair of chances in first half

AC Milan controlled the ball for long periods, but was unable to turn its supremacy into goals in the `EuroDerby' in front of a sold-out crowd of 80,000.

The clash between the two Italian soccer giants, who have won seven Champions Cup titles combined, was the 254th `Derby' in their history, but the first ever for a berth in the final of the most prestigious European competition.

AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini set another milestone in the match, playing against Inter for the 44th time and matching the record set by Inter's Giuseppi Bergomi.

AC Milan, which had defeated Inter twice in the Serie A this season, missed a third victory as top striker Filippo Inzaghi was shutout by Inter's defence while Shevchenko was unable to take advantage of two clear opportunities.

The Ukrainian forward, who was replaced by Brazilian Rivaldo in the closing minutes, had the best chance in the match in the 59th minute.

Shevchenko rushed unmarked into Inter's area, but he attempted to pass to Inzaghi instead of kicking into the net from 12 meters.

Nine minutes earlier, Shevchenko had deflected into hands of Inter goalkeeper Francesco Toldo one meter from the netline.

Inter, badly missing injured star-striker Christian Vieri, played a defensive game but twice put Recoba in scoring position on quick counterattacks within 10 minutes.

In the seventh, the imaginative Uruguayan, fed by Argentine teammate Hernan Crespo, found himself unmarked at the area edge but kicked slowly at AC Milan's Brazilian goalkeeper Dida, who stopped the ball with ease. In the 17th, Recoba headed the ball into Dida's arms from the close range.

Milan's second-half pressure included straight attempts by Portuguese midfielder Rui Costa, whose long-distance drives went just wide, and a diagonal shot by Rino Gattuso saved by Toldo.

In the 90th, Crespo nearly baffled the host team with a lob past Dida, which went wide.

Milan's Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf, who played the full match while returning from a knee injury, said Tuesday's second-leg will be a different match.

``Inter will be under a lot of pressure because it can't afford allowing a goal as host team,'' Seedorf said.

But Inter's Argentine coach Hector Cuper was optimistic about the second leg.

``We know that we must win to reach the final and we will be playing for a win,'' said Cuper, who is seeking his third Champions Cup final. He led Spain's Valencia to the championship match twice but lost both times.

The winner of Tuesday's match will take on either Juventus or Real Madrid in the final, which is set for May 26 at Old Trafford in Manchester, England. Defending champion Real Madrid beat Juve 2-1 on Tuesday in Madrid. The second leg is set for next Wednesday in Turin.

The last time two teams from the same city played each other in the Champions Cup semifinals was 1959 when Real Madrid took on Atletico de Madrid.

Real Madrid then went on to win the final.

Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, AC Milan's president and owner, was in the stands supporting his team. He left the stadium without commenting on the result, apparently unhappy about the home draw.

— AP

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