4 May 2005
PSV 3-1 MILAN
van Bommel pumped a cross into the box and midget Farfan somehow managed to out jump Stam, as Vennegoor of Hesselink went airborne for a scissor kick Maldini got
in the way and took a kick to the back of the head. After several minutes of treatment he came back on the pitch but was clearly out of sorts and didn't make the second half. Park slipped a ball into VoH who managed to turn Stam, as Stam tried to clear the ball broke for Park and lashed it into the roof of the net. VoH crashed a header against Dida's crossbar from a van Bommel free kick. Milan finally managed 'shots' on goal late in the first half. Shevchenko's deflected pass fell to Cafu but he blazed over. Minutes later Kaka's saw a goal bound effort charged down by man-beast Alex. In the closing minutes Maldini, who was having major problems with Farfan, under-hit a backpass which Dida just managed to clear.
van Bommel stepped over Farfan's centre and Park, who despite his first half strike couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo, defied the laws of physics by shooting
BACKWARDS. VoH slammed a loose ball into Ambrosini after Kaladze headed out a free kick and Alex ballooned over a shot after the Milan defence failed to clear Lee's
centre. Lucius's superb tackle prevented Shevchenko from scoring on a rare counter attack. Ironically PSV scored a second while Milan were enjoying their best period of sustained pressure, all five minutes of it. The World Class van Bommel took a pass from Vogel and rode a tackle from Pirlo before spraying wide to Lee, Lee teased Cafu before accelerating away and firing whipping a cross to the back post which Cocu powerfully headed under Dida. PSV's next chance was from Charles Hughes route one manual. VoH headed on Gomes' goal kick, Robert, the penalty hero against Lyon, flicked the ball wide of Cafu before shooting at the bottom corner but Dida saved. From the resulting corner he wasn't as accurate and drilled Kaladze's poor headed clearance wide. After several sorties forward Milan forced a corner and Ambrosini forced Gomes into making his first real save with a low header. It's a this point Milan started to play a bit of football as maybe PSV had one eye on extra time. Shevchenko headed wide from another Pirlo corner and in injury time a fantastic passing move gave Milan what proved ultimately to be an ill deserved winning goal. Lee wastefully booted a free kick upto van Bommel but Stam intercepted. After several passes between the defenders Nesta launched a
ball upto Kaka' on the left flank, he held off van Bommel and passed to Ambrosini, Ambrosini played a one-two with Gattuso before laying the ball off to Kaladze. He
waited, under no real pressure, for Kaka' to run forward before releasing, Kaka' faced with Vogel checked back and hit a beautiful cross upto Ambrosini and he
headed through Gomes hands - Gomes should have done better. PSV hit back with an immediate albeit irrelevant goal. VoH headed on Alex' free kick and Cocu
got between Cafu and Stam to volley over Dida.
I don't think Ancelotti will try this formation again and if he has any sense he won't start Seedorf in the final, he was a cancer. As in the first leg PSV's shooting let them down. Kaka' had a monster game but the real star of the show as van Bommel and whoever signs him next season (90% Barca, 5% Tottenham
& 5% Milan) will go far domestically and in Europe. He's got everything including a stupid jerry curl.
3-3 on aggregate, Milan win on away goals.
Attendance : 35,100
Assists : n/a, Lee, Kaka', Vennegoor of Hesselink
3 May 2005
LIVERPOOL 1-0 CHELSEA
Riise played a ball into Gerrard and he chipped forward a first time pass into the box to Baros, Cech flew off his line and flattened the striker, Luis Garia pounced on the loose ball and his shot took a deflection off Terry and either crossed the line or didn't, Gallas hacked clear and after a brief wait which must have seemed like an eternity the ref took the easy option and awared a goal instead of a red card for Cech and a penalty.
Dudek was a spectator until mid-way through the second half when Drogba stepped over a free kick to Lampard and his frecious low drive was palmed wide by Dudek.
With Chelsea pushing forward Cisse had a chance of the break but his shot was deflected wide by Carvalho, who was lucky to escape a yellow card on two occasions.
Drogba and Gudjohnson wasted gilt edged chances to put Chelsea in the final. Drogba headed thin air from the first decent delivery Chelsea and second half
substitute Robben managed all match. In the sixth minute of injury time (two Liverpool supporters had ran onto the pitch during normal time) Lampard swung
a cross into the box Robben? headed on, Dudek collided with Hyypia when clearing the ball fell to Gudjohson, he took it on his chest before sending a left foot shot
whistling past a post.
Liverpool = Hector Cuper's Inter.
Liverpool win 1-0 on aggregate.
Attendance :
Assists : n/a
27 April 2005
CHELSEA 0-0 LIVERPOOL
Damn this was ****ing boring. Drogba and Lampard missed sitters. Riise pulled a Xabi Alonso pass out of the air with a back heel, Carvalho failed to head clear,
Riise feigned to shoot, taking out Terry but having done the hard work he fired straight at Cech. The highlight of the match. Baros forced a brilliant save from
Cech with a header late in the first half. Xabi Alonso's second half booking rules him out of the second leg.
Liverpool showed zero ambition, Chelsea zero invention. Liverpool will have to make more of an effort to attack in the second leg and hopefully Chelsea will
rip them apart on the break.
Attendance : 40,497
Assists : n/a
26 April 2005
MILAN 2-0 PSV
The Italian champions kept the new Dutch champions pinned in their own penalty area during the opening ten or so minutes. Shevchenko gave Gomes an early touch
the ball with a tamely struck volley. Gomes showed his strengths and weaknesses as Milan won a succession of corners. First he saved athletically from Crespo
then slipped as he came off his line to make an unnecessary challenge for the ball, Park cleared Crespo's goal bound header off the line and Stam blazed the
rebound high over the bar. Despite Milan's dominance it's PSV who should have gone ahead. Van Bommel hit a fantastic volleyed through pass from Stam's
attempted clearance sending Farfan clear but he cut inside Cafu before hitting a lame shot at Dida. Kaka', who had been kept quiet by Cocu, suddenly sprang to
life. Having gone close with a header he stung Gomes' palms with powerful shots struck with either foot. Shevchenko laid off Kaka's pass before making a sneaky
run past Alex and Vogel, Kaka' released the ball with Swiss watch like precision, Shevchenko left an injured Bouma for dead before shooting wide of Gomes.
PSV started the second half aggressively while Milan invited pressure and tried to hit them on the break. The Dutch created a million and one chances, all
either missed by Park or charged down by the Milan defence. In between Park's horrible shooting Crespo, brilliantly found by Kaka', hit a feeble shot straight
at Cocu with the goal at his mercy. Shevchenko almost scored the goal of the season, Cafu hit the most awesome 60 yard pass out of defence, Shevchenko took
the ball on his chest, and having spotted Gomes off his line turned and hit a lob towards the top corner but Gomes scrambled back to make a fantastic one
handed save. Ancelotti made a series of substitutions, Tomasson came on for Crespo, Ambrosini for Gattuso and 9 minutes from time Seedorf left to the chorus
of boos his wretched performance deserved for Serginho. Van Bommel, Park and Vennegoor of Hesslink wasted further chances before Tomasson gave Milan one foot
in the final. After making another comfortable save from van Bommel Dida launched a goalkick upto Shevchenko which Alex managed to clear as far as Ooijer
but, under pressure from Tomasson, he slipped, Tomasson rolled the ball wide to Kaka', he teased Cocu before eventually shooting, the ball deflected off the
midfielder and Tomasson met it as it dropped on the volley.
Attendance : 79,000
Assists : Kaka', n/a