One man's trash...

Purists applaud, critics blast Champions League final

MANCHESTER, England (AP) -- Soccer purists loved it. Fans hoping for plenty of goals were disappointed.

With a global TV audience of some 500 million people in 200 countries, organizers had hoped for a spectacular Champions Cup final.

It was colorful, noisy, trouble-free.

Spectacular, no.

Wednesday's game at Old Trafford went 120 minutes without a goal before AC Milan beat Juventus 3-2 in a penalty shootout for its sixth Champions Cup title.

Andriy Shevchenko converted the decisive kick, sliding the ball into the right side of the net as Gianluigi Buffon dived the other way.

Milan had a goal disallowed for offside and could have been ahead 2-0 at halftime Wednesday night. Juve hit the crossbar early in the second half.

The first ever all-Italian final showcased the high quality defensive play associated with Serie A. But critics found it downright boring.

The British media's verdict varied from "enthralling" to "watching paint dry."

"They ended up stinking out Old Trafford, just as the rest of Europe had feared," said the tabloid Mirror. "The worry of failure turned a fleetingly bright Old Trafford night into a dull and depressing reminder of what Serie A can mean."

The paper called it a "predictable and soulless encounter."

The Daily Mail described the game as a "treat for connoisseurs."

"There will be more cheap shots this morning," the Mail said. "But to criticize the new Italians for being defensive is to commit an error of terminology. The steel-tipped reality is that Italian teams can defend. They go forth to win but their defenders are dedicated to their craft.

"This is the difference with the English game. While the Premiership has become a trigger-happy shootout for bounty hunters, Italian defenses offer few easy targets."

The Times of London criticized the performances of Milan forwards Shevchenko and Filippo Inzaghi and Juventus strikers David Trezeguet and Alessandro Del Piero.

"Finishing was the only substandard part of an enthralling final," it said. "What both sides would have given to borrow the cool head of Ruud van Nistelrooy in his favorite venue to add his killer touch."

But Manchester United's Van Nistelrooy was nowhere to be seen. His manager, Alex Ferguson, whose team was knocked out 6-5 on aggregate by Madrid in the quarterfinal, was watching.

Three Italian teams reached the semifinals of European soccer's most prestigious competition, with AC Milan beating city rival Inter Milan in the final four.

Back in the late 1970s and early '80s England -- particularly four-time champion Liverpool -- dominated. Then Italy took over in the late '80s and early '90s, with Milan winning two titles and Juventus one and both clubs reaching two finals each.

Spain was in control from 1998-2002, with Real Madrid winning three titles in five years.

Italian clubs hadn't even made it past the quarterfinals in four years. Milan's triumph over Juventus guaranteed a 10th victory for Serie A to tie Spain's record -- nine for Real Madrid and one for Barcelona.

The same clubs will be back again next season, along with two-time champion Manchester United and four-time winners Bayern Munich and Ajax Amsterdam.

 

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