Man Utd 3 - 2 AC
Milan
Wayne Rooney's stunning last-minute winner kept Manchester
United's hopes of reaching the Champions League final alive after
an Old Trafford classic. Cristiano Ronaldo's fifth-minute header
put United in front, only for AC Milan to draw level through Kaka's
angled drive after 21 minutes. Kaka put Milan ahead from close
range before the interval, but Rooney turned in Paul Scholes' cool
pass on the hour. Rooney then lashed a glorious 20-yard finish past
Dida in injury time.
It was a moment of magic that gave United a precious lead to defend
going into the second leg in Milan next Wednesday. United opened in
sparkling fashion, and it took a desperate intervention from
Alessandro Nesta to divert Rooney's shot over the bar. But they
were soon ahead when Ronaldo met Ryan Giggs' corner with a firm
header, which Dida palmed into the air and could then only divert
into the net. United were firing on all cylinders up front - but
all the time Milan, in the shape of Kaka, were waiting to probe
their suspect and under-strength rearguard. And the strike they
feared came after 21 minutes when Kaka took Clarence Seedorf's pass
and accelerated away from Gabriel Heinze and fired a left-foot
angled drive across Edwin van der Sar.
A high-quality encounter saw Rooney just fail to get on the end of
Giggs' cross and Ronaldo bring a crucial block from Dida with a
25-yard power drive. But Brazilian superstar Kaka was an
ever-present threat, and he took advantage of shambolic United
defending to grab a crucial second away goal for Milan after 36
minutes. Kaka chased a long pass, and when Heinze and Patrice Evra
collided, he moved smoothly into top gear to slide a perfect finish
past Van der Sar. Evra was then booked for dissent - a yellow card
that rules him out of the second leg at the San Siro, an
inconvenience United did not need given their lack of defensive
resources.
Michael Carrick wasted a glorious opportunity to put United level
after 47 minutes when he side-footed wide of an open goal when he
arrived unmarked at the far post on the end of another dangerous
Giggs corner. Milan lost captain Paolo Maldini to a knee injury at
half-time, then were robbed of Gennaro Gattuso with a knee problem
- with the combative midfield man being replaced by Cristian
Brocchi.
Kaka was giving a master-class, escaping the offside trap to shoot
across the face of goal then playing a sumptuous one-two with
Seedorf only to volley narrowly over. United desperately needed
inspiration, and a moment of genius from Scholes provided it as
they drew level after 59 minutes.
Scholes instinctively lifted the ball into the path of Rooney,
whose finish was half-stopped by Dida but rolled in. United were
suddenly buoyant again, and the unpredictable Dida saved
brilliantly from Darren Fletcher after Rooney's cross was headed
into his path. Fletcher forced Dida into a save at his near post as
United pressed for what would be a crucial lead to take to
Italy.
Dida then finger-tipped Ronaldo's dipping drive inches wide as
United mounted a spell of sustained pressure in the closing stages.
United's sheer courage was rewarded when Rooney ran on to Giggs'
pass and fired past a startled Dida to send Old Trafford wild in
celebration.
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Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Brown, Heinze, Evra, Fletcher,
Carrick, Scholes, Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs.
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Smith, Solskjaer, Dong, Richardson,
Eagles, Lee.
Booked: Evra, Giggs.
Goals: Ronaldo 6, Rooney 59, 90.
AC Milan: Dida, Oddo, Nesta, Maldini (Bonera 46), Jankulovski,
Gattuso (Brocchi 52), Pirlo, Ambrosini, Seedorf, Kaka, Gilardino
(Gourcuff 84).
Subs Not Used: Kalac, Cafu, Inzaghi, Favalli.
Booked: Kaka, Bonera.
Goals: Kaka 22, 37.
Att: 73,820
Ref: Kyros Vassaras (Greece).
