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EuroDerby draw Milan, Inter play to stalemate in Champions League semiPosted: Wednesday May 07, 2003 4:54 PMUpdated: Wednesday May 07, 2003 6:55 PM
MILAN (Reuters) -- AC Milan and Inter Milan drew the opening leg of their Champions League semifinal 0-0 on Wednesday leaving everything to play for when they reconvene at their shared San Siro ground for the second leg next Tuesday. Milan will be disappointed not to have been able to make the most of their domination in the "EuroDerby," particularly in the second half, but having not conceded Inter an "away goal" they know a scoring draw when they are officially the away team will be enough to see them into the final at Old Trafford on May 28. "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." Despite the absence of goals and a scarcity of real scoring chances -- a disappointment given the array of attacking talent on display -- there was rarely a dull moment in a game played at a high-pace and in a good spirit, despite the intense atmosphere generated by the 95-year rivalry between two of Italy's top clubs. Inter's Uruguayan striker Alvaro Recoba failed to make the most of two good first half chances for his side but it is Milan who will feel the more frustrated. Carlo Ancelotti's men were unable to turn their midfield supremacy, built on the fiery determination of Gennaro Gattuso and the silky touches of Rui Costa, into a busier night for Inter keeper Francesco Toldo. Too often -- against a well-disciplined Inter back line -- Milan were tempted into harmless long-range shots and Inter coach Hector Cuper will feel his decision to play with three central defenders paid off as neither of Milan's strikers Andriy Shevchenko or Filippo Inzaghi were able to find much space. Lively start After a colorful choreographed display of flags and banners from the two sets of supporters had set the scene and sparked a crescendo of noise before the kick off, it was Inter who made the first positive move. Recoba latched on to a neat flick from Hernan Crespo but from the edge of the penalty area shot weakly at Milan keeper Dida. The little Uruguayan forward lacked power again ten minutes later when, unmarked, he headed a Sergio Conceicao cross softly into the arms of the Brazilian keeper. In between those efforts from Recoba, Milan had gone close through Shevchenko who forced a save out of Toldo with a shot from the left of the penalty area after being set up by Georgian full back Kakha Kaladze. After the interval Milan stepped up the pace, launching a wave of attacks at the Inter defense. Rui Costa tried two shots from distance that flashed wide and then Shevchenko was unable to turn the ball past Toldo at the near post after a fine run and cross from Kaladze. Diving save The nearest Milan came to breaking the deadlock was when the tenacious Gattuso forced a fine diving save out of Toldo in the 64th minute after an excellent piece of control from Inzaghi. Ancelotti made use of his ample resources in the latter stages introducing Brazilian pair Serginho and Rivaldo and the Argentine midfielder Fernando Redondo. Yet rather than be given a boost by the substitutions Milan lost the momentum they had built up and it was Inter who came closest in the final stages. Crespo, who had a disappointing night, won a tussle with Milan captain Paolo Maldini as he raced on to a long ball forward but the Argentine was wide of the target with his shot. He and the rest of the expensive forwards on display will hope that next week one of them can get a goal that could make all the difference between two tightly matched sides. 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 coach 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 will face 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. Coaches quietly confident after Milan stalemateMILAN (Reuters) -- AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti and his Inter counterpart Hector Cuper were both maintaining modest hopes for their teams' chances after the first leg of the Champions League semifinal finished goalless on Wednesday. Inter, having failed to find the target in the "away leg" at the San Siro venue they share with their rivals, know they need to score against Milan in the second leg -- something they have failed to do in their three meetings so far this season. But Cuper remains upbeat about his team's chances of reaching the Old Trafford final on May 28th against either Real Madrid or Juventus -- with holders Madrid leading 2-1 from the first leg at the Bernabeu on Tuesday. "I don't see a danger for us in the second leg. We know we have to win the game and I think it will be a similar match. Our confidence is excellent," said the Argentine. He has never lost a two-legged tie in the Champions League having taken Valencia to two successive finals, losing both, before joining Inter. Cuper suggested those who may be hoping for a more obviously entertaining game may be disappointed: "Entertainment is what comes after the game when you have won. "As a coach, you want to see heart and concentration but I think that for fans seeing players play in that way can also be entertaining," he said. More satisfied Ancelotti, though, was the more satisfied of the two coaches despite his team, who enjoyed the better of the game, being unable to break through a well-marshaled Inter back line. "At the start we weren't able to close Inter down well and we had some problems. After that spell, though, and especially in the second half, we were well on top but we couldn't get the goal we deserved. "It is a good result -- it doesn't leave us with a big advantage for the second leg but there is a very little one. It remains a very balanced tie," said the Milan coach. Cuper agreed with that assessment of the game saying: "We had two good chances in the first half and I thought we played quite well. It changed in the second half, though, and Milan played well." Certainly, it was a more disciplined and ordered Inter than the team who lost twice to Milan in their Serie A meetings this season and Cuper's decision to play with three central defenders had much to do with that increased resilience. "We improved in terms of our defending. The mistakes we made in the previous derbies was in allowing [Andriy] Shevchenko and [Filippo] Inzaghi too much space in attack. This time, with three defenders in the middle we improved that a lot," said Cuper. A single goal may be enough to decide the destiny of the tie but Ancelotti said he was not planning anything hugely different for the second leg. "Our aim will be to play in the same way -- I don't want to change anything in that respect. In terms of improvement, we probably need to have a bit more fluency in our play and more determination in our finishing," he said. SummaryAC Milan 0 Inter Milan 0 -- result Champions League semifinal, first leg Halftime: 0-0; Attendance: 78,175 Teams: AC Milan: 12-Dida; 19-Alessandro Costacurta, 13-Alessandro Nesta, 3-Paolo Maldini, 4-Kakha Kaladze; 32-Cristian Brocchi (27-Serginho 73), 8-Gennaro Gattuso (5-Fernando Redondo 78), 20-Clarence Seedorf; 10-Rui Costa; 7-Andriy Shevchenko (11-Rivaldo 81), 9-Filippo Inzaghi. Inter Milan: 1-Francesco Toldo; 4-Javier Zanetti, 13-Fabio Cannavaro, 23-Marco Materazzi, 2-Ivan Cordoba; 7-Sergio Conceicao (11-Guly 66), 14-Luigi Di Biagio, 5-Belozoglu Emre, 77-Francesco Coco (26-Giovanni Pasquale 84); 9-Hernan Crespo, 20-Alvaro Recoba (3-Mohammed Kallon 72) Referee: Valentin Ivanov (Russia)
Both the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. |
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