The only player to have won the Champions League with three different clubs was the most emotional after reaching another final. Clarence Seedorf _ who won the title in 1995 with Ajax, in 1998 with Real Madrid, and in 2003 with Milan _ was in tears Wednesday after the "Rossoneri" beat Manchester United at the San Siro to advance to the May 23 final against Liverpool in Athens.
"I cried because I haven't forgotten where we started this season," said the Dutch midfielder, who scored the second goal in Milan's 3-0 second-leg win in the semifinals to advance 5-3 on aggregate.
Milan had to qualify for this season's Champions League after being implicated in the Italian match-fixing scandal. Many critics had said the team shouldn't have been allowed in the competition at all.
In the Serie A, Milan began the season with an eight-point penalty from the scandal.
With nearly half the squad injured midway through the season, Milan seemed stalled in the middle of the table and was eliminated from the Italian Cup by AS Roma in January.
Now, with nearly all of the injured players back, Milan has climbed to third in Serie A and has a chance at winning the only trophy it still can this season _ the Champions League.
"Between November and December, we weren't well and everyone was criticizing us. Maybe we didn't even think we could get this far," Seedorf said.
"But over 180 minutes against Manchester, Milan showed it was superior. Even in the first leg we controlled the game, we only stupidly let them come back in the final minutes. Here we massacred them in the first half."
Seedorf's header set up Kaka for Milan's first goal in the 11th minute Wednesday. He made it 2-0 in the 30th, controlling a cross from the right with his chest and evading two defenders before shooting past United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.
Substitute Alberto Gilardino scored Milan's third goal in the 78th.
It wasn't that long ago that Seedorf was jeered by Milan supporters. Until his decisive goal against Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals, he was the scapegoat for the team's below-par league form.
"If you win 3-0 against (United manager Alex) Ferguson's squad then you really can't say anything else," Seedorf said. "I'm happy for all of Milan's fans _ but also for all Italians."
The final against Liverpool is a rematch of the memorable 2005 game.
Two years ago, Milan led Liverpool 3-0 at halftime in Istanbul, Turkey, but the English team scored three times in the second half and eventually won 3-2 on penalties.
"This will be entirely different," Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We won't have any pressure and I don't think Liverpool will have a psychological advantage after having won in 2005.
"They're a very well organized squad in defense, and they certainly won't allow us to attack with the space Manchester conceded."
Six players on Milan's roster were on Italy's team that won the World Cup in Germany last year: Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Nesta, Massimo Oddo, Filippo Inzaghi, Gilardino and Gennaro Gattuso.
"The Azzurri jersey provides emotions that you can't compare anything to," Gattuso said. "An emotion like that has no equal. They're two different things that you can't compare."
But Gattuso is proud of have far Milan has come since the scandal.
"With the way this season started, reaching the final is tremendous," he said. "Nobody would have bet even one Lira on us."
国际英语资讯:U.S. House overwhelmingly passes bill to re-authorize funding for 9/11 victims
国内英语资讯:Chinese vice premier stresses rural industry revitalization
英国王妃凯特竟是简·奥斯汀远房亲戚
国内英语资讯:China signs Belt and Road cooperation documents with 18 Arabian countries
俄专家称20年内人类将与外星人相遇
国际英语资讯:Turkish, U.S. officials discuss delivery of S-400 missile defense system by phone
亚洲崛起? 百万富翁人数首次超过欧洲
减肥也开心:吃出质量 保持充足睡眠
国际英语资讯:Brazilian president to appoint his son as ambassador to U.S.
发财后:女人想要别墅 男人想要飞机
情侣睡姿盘点:如何抱着女友睡最舒服
新城市4个结交朋友的地方
国内英语资讯:Chinese, Hungarian FMs eye closer exchanges, more cooperation
雷人现象 大哭一场有助升职?
研究证明:男性更易遭雷劈
英国一高中禁止女生穿裙子和紧身裤
爱你自己 作真正的自我
令人难忘的一课
国际英语资讯:At least 6 killed, 50 injured in deadly terror attack in southern Somalia
谷歌医药广告遭遇美国史上最大罚单
美电子支付将在四年内取代钱包
杰克逊《颤栗》夹克180万美元拍卖
女性一眼可辨认男同 经期更加精准
爱之初体验:初次约会须知
美国赌城开世界最大挖土机游乐场
英国男人失业后易离婚
《花花公子》创始人半年内订婚、分手、再找俩女友
国内英语资讯:Political advisors discuss temple, church management
工作有压力?战胜疲惫的4种方法
“丑女贝蒂”变身最美新娘
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |