AC Milan 2 Werder Bremen 2
Before the game started, i did the usual. Spoke to all my Milan mates, prediction time. All of them went for Milan, going through. I on the other hand, exercised my abundant pessimism. I said, Milan would lose. Milan will be evicted. One of them fumed in response. Asked me, 'how can a die-hard fan like you say that, how can you turn your back on Milan?' Little did he know I was only being realistic. As usual, Milan came to my rescue, some 2 hours later.
This was the only competition that we had any chance of winning. It was an obligation, considering the stature this club has built for itself in Europe. But crashing out, at the round of 32 is shameful. For Pete's sake, this is the UEFA Cup! Bremen have been struggling in their domestic league, a tier two league in Europe. Sitting 9th in the table, this German side were hell bent on coming to the San Siro and doing the 'impossible'. And they started declaring intent from the very beginning. Pizzaro, Tziolis and Ozil tested the Milanese defense in the first 6 minutes. Bremen were playing like they were still at the Weserstadion, and Diego was syncing play beautifully. They were so aggressive that Dida had to make a save from Naldo, who is a centre back. Ironically, it was Milan who took the lead, as Beckam's free kick bounced of Frings' arm, inside the area. Pirlo stepped up confidently, and gave Milan an undeserved lead. Not much later, some smart work from veteran Maldini set up Pato who scored from a wonder strikes. These strikes are becoming something of a regularity for the young 'duck'. Almeida and Mertesacker made Dida bring back his glory days, as he stopped both their attempts excellently. Milan almost killed the game at half time as Seedorf took a power drive, but Vander kept his team in the hunt. The rest of the night was going to be academic, or so we all thought.
Germans are renowned for their 'never say die' attitude. And the few Italians in the stadium were going to see just that post Thomas Schaaf's half time team talk. An evil omen came in the form of Seedorf getting injured 8 minutes into the 2nd half. Ancelloti decided to bring on Flamini. Smart, i thought. Zambrotta decided to make himself a wall for the night, as he stood in the way of Pizzaro's shot, as he had previously done something similar to Diego. Not much later, a free kick from the maestro Diego, and Pizzaro used his large structure to head past Dida. 11 minutes from time, it was almost like action replay, as Pizzaro headed past Dida. Milan defense were running around in circles, as was seen so richly on earlier occasions. Shevchenko was brought on, just proving how frustrated Ancelloti was, and this almost paid off, as Shevchenko's effort flashed past the post. Ozil was brought down in the box, and referee denied a penalty that probably should have given. Game ended, and the tournament favourites were out of the competition. Ambrosini was seen clapping with his hands held high. This will give you a hint of hysteria these old men were experiencing.
Its a result that made me smile. Now don't get me wrong, I am not a sadist, nor has my mental condition been reduced to that of Ambrosini's. But subsequent to the Kaka saga, i don't feel that emotional connect to the club, like I used to. I do feel that this loss will reflect gravely on Ancelloti's future at this club. He is the hidden villain, and I am still surprised to see him as the gaffer 24 hours past the opprobrious result. I did take time-out to cool down before I got down to writing this piece. Recently I had been thinking - Are Milan still a force in Europe? What's the standard or measure of quality of this team? UEFA Cup, A Bremen team at 9th position in a ridiculous league, knocked out of the Champions League group stage when it was easier to qualify, an away result that favored us, a 2 goal lead at half time, and we squander it. We lose. And I found my answer.
Video Highlights - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCTUdTPxTgY&eur
Goalscorers -
Milan - Pirlo (26' pen), Pato (33')
Bremen - Pizzaro (68', 79')
This was the only competition that we had any chance of winning. It was an obligation, considering the stature this club has built for itself in Europe. But crashing out, at the round of 32 is shameful. For Pete's sake, this is the UEFA Cup! Bremen have been struggling in their domestic league, a tier two league in Europe. Sitting 9th in the table, this German side were hell bent on coming to the San Siro and doing the 'impossible'. And they started declaring intent from the very beginning. Pizzaro, Tziolis and Ozil tested the Milanese defense in the first 6 minutes. Bremen were playing like they were still at the Weserstadion, and Diego was syncing play beautifully. They were so aggressive that Dida had to make a save from Naldo, who is a centre back. Ironically, it was Milan who took the lead, as Beckam's free kick bounced of Frings' arm, inside the area. Pirlo stepped up confidently, and gave Milan an undeserved lead. Not much later, some smart work from veteran Maldini set up Pato who scored from a wonder strikes. These strikes are becoming something of a regularity for the young 'duck'. Almeida and Mertesacker made Dida bring back his glory days, as he stopped both their attempts excellently. Milan almost killed the game at half time as Seedorf took a power drive, but Vander kept his team in the hunt. The rest of the night was going to be academic, or so we all thought.
Germans are renowned for their 'never say die' attitude. And the few Italians in the stadium were going to see just that post Thomas Schaaf's half time team talk. An evil omen came in the form of Seedorf getting injured 8 minutes into the 2nd half. Ancelloti decided to bring on Flamini. Smart, i thought. Zambrotta decided to make himself a wall for the night, as he stood in the way of Pizzaro's shot, as he had previously done something similar to Diego. Not much later, a free kick from the maestro Diego, and Pizzaro used his large structure to head past Dida. 11 minutes from time, it was almost like action replay, as Pizzaro headed past Dida. Milan defense were running around in circles, as was seen so richly on earlier occasions. Shevchenko was brought on, just proving how frustrated Ancelloti was, and this almost paid off, as Shevchenko's effort flashed past the post. Ozil was brought down in the box, and referee denied a penalty that probably should have given. Game ended, and the tournament favourites were out of the competition. Ambrosini was seen clapping with his hands held high. This will give you a hint of hysteria these old men were experiencing.
Its a result that made me smile. Now don't get me wrong, I am not a sadist, nor has my mental condition been reduced to that of Ambrosini's. But subsequent to the Kaka saga, i don't feel that emotional connect to the club, like I used to. I do feel that this loss will reflect gravely on Ancelloti's future at this club. He is the hidden villain, and I am still surprised to see him as the gaffer 24 hours past the opprobrious result. I did take time-out to cool down before I got down to writing this piece. Recently I had been thinking - Are Milan still a force in Europe? What's the standard or measure of quality of this team? UEFA Cup, A Bremen team at 9th position in a ridiculous league, knocked out of the Champions League group stage when it was easier to qualify, an away result that favored us, a 2 goal lead at half time, and we squander it. We lose. And I found my answer.
Video Highlights - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCTUdTPxTgY&eur
Goalscorers -
Milan - Pirlo (26' pen), Pato (33')
Bremen - Pizzaro (68', 79')
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