[timothy]

SERIE A: THE SPORTING JUDGE'S SANCTIONS

MILAN - These are the decisions of the sporting judge after the 3rd matchday of Serie A:
2 matchdays suspension for Valdez (Reggina);
1 matchday suspension for Vidigal (Livorno), Juric (Genoa), Carrozzieri (Atalanta), Frick (Siena).

[timothy]

SAN SIRO: WEATHER CONDITIONS

MILAN - A few hours ahead of the start of Milan-Benfica at the Milanese San Siro stadium, these are the weather conditions: light wind, blue sky with very few clouds.

[timothy]

45' Action Filippo Inzaghi Tries a header after a great pass from Kaká, the ball goes high over the crossbar
45' Generic Event Referee Riley assigns one minute of injury time
44' Action Massimo Ambrosini Doesn't hit the ball well as he tried to serve the ball to team mates inside the area after Gattuso won it
41' Action Massimo Ambrosini Ambrosini crosses it in, but no Rossonero gets to the ball
40' Action Filippo Inzaghi Fails to control the ball inside the area from a pass by Pirlo
38' Action Alessandro Nesta Brilliant header which clears the danger after a free kick from a dangerous position by Benfica
37' Action Manuel Rui Costa Hits a free kick from the edge of the area, the ball goes left of the goal
36' Action Kaká Wastes the chance for a third goal after great work by Ambrosini and a perfect pass by Oddo
33' Action Clarence Seedorf Big mistake by the Benfica defence, Seedorf takes advantage
33' Action Dida Great save by the Brazilian on a shot by Rui Costa
32' Action Massimo Oddo The Rossoneri defender closes down Leo
31' Action Kaká Seedorf passes the ball to Kaká, but the Brazilian thinks he's offside and doesn't follow the ball inside the area
30' Action Alessandro Nesta Nesta closes down well on Di Maria
29' Action Cardozo On a counterattack he serves Rui Costa, the Rossoneri get the ball and send it away
26' Off side Massimo Oddo
24' Goal Filippo Inzaghi Great move by Kaká who serves Pirlo inside the area, Andrea's cross finds Inzaghi: goal!
22' Action Cardozo The portuguese hits the crossbar, danger for Milan
21' Action Filippo Inzaghi Powerful right-footer by Inzaghi, saved by Quim
20' Corner kick Filippo Inzaghi
19' Off side Marek Jankulovski
17' Action Manuel Rui Costa Tries a right-footed shot, it goes narrowly wide
16' Action Massimo Ambrosini Massimo tries a shot on a cross by Pirlo, but Quim gets to it
15' Action Massimo Oddo Oddo robs the ball on the right flank, but Benfica's defence have it again
14' Action Filippo Inzaghi Great move by the Rossoneri with Pirlo serving the ball to Oddo on the right, Massimo crosses it in, but Inzaghi puts it narrowly wide
11' Action Kakha Kaladze With the help of Nesta he closes down Cardozo as he was trying an individual move
9' Goal Andrea Pirlo Hits a free kick from the edge of the area which goes past Quim, who was too late
8' Action Massimo Ambrosini Great cross by Oddo from the right, Ambrosini tries to put it in, but his timing his wrong and now Benfica have a goal kick
7' Action Marek Jankulovski He tries to send the ball to a team mate on the left, but the pass is too long
5' Corner kick Manuel Rui Costa The Rossoneri defence clear it
2' Action Kaká Kaká tries a right-footed shot, but the Benfica defence is alert
1' Generic Event Referee Mike Riley has whistled for the start of the match
Prematch The teams are getting ready to take the pitch
Prematch The teams have entered the pitch.

[AeroIceman]

wow! great live updates. thank you!
but can you really enjoy the game and do this at the same time?

[timothy]

wow! great live updates. thank you!
but can you really enjoy the game and do this at the same time?

I have my notebook this time with me on the tribune of honor

[timothy]

90'+2' Goal Nuno Gomes
90'+2' Generic Event The referee blows his whistle. Milan beat Benfica 2-1
90'+1' Action Kaká Bonera crosses it in, Kaká tries an overhead kick
90' Generic Event Referee Mike Riley assigns 2 minutes of injury time
88' Generic Event Standing ovation for Manuel Rui Costa
87' Substitution Manuel Rui Costa
Nuno Assis
84' Action Marek Jankulovski The Milan defence recovers well as Benfica threatened on the counterattack
84' Substitution Filippo Inzaghi
Alberto Gilardino
82' Corner kick Kaká Crosses the ball in, Quim punches it away, Gattuso heads it in again, Quim saves
81' Substitution Massimo Oddo
Daniele Bonera
80' Corner kick Angel Fabián Di María Crosses it to the near post, Gattuso clears
77' Action Kaká Great individual move by Kaká who progresses from midfield to the Benfica area and serves Gattuso
77' Action Emerson Tries a shot from distance, it goes narrowly over the bar
75' Substitution Clarence Seedorf
Emerson
73' Substitution Miguel Angelo Leonardo Vítor
Gilles
71' Action Konstantinos Katsouranis Tries a powerful shot from distance, Dida saves it without problems
69' Action Massimo Oddo Great shot from outside the area, the ball goes just wide
68' Action Gennaro Ivan Gattuso Brilliant move by Milan: Kaká makes a run and passes it to Seedorf, the ball comes to Rino who tries to serve Inzaghi with an overhead kick inside the area, the portuguese defence clear
67' Yellow card Filippo Inzaghi
66' Action Filippo Inzaghi Mistake from close range by the Milan striker after a splendid assist from Ambrosini, who had in turn received the ball from Seedorf
65' Corner kick Andrea Pirlo Sends the ball in, but Benfica clear
64' Action Marek Jankulovski tries a shot from the left after a nice move by Kaká and Seedorf
63' Substitution Cardozo
Nuno Gomes
62' Action Massimo Ambrosini Tries to get his head to the ball after Jankulovski's cross, with Inzaghi ready behind him
61' Yellow card Cardozo
59' Action Massimo Oddo Clears the ball after Rodriguez's cross
58' Action Manuel Rui Costa His right-footer goes high over the bar
57' Action Marek Jankulovski Tries to come inside the area and shoot, but the portuguese defenders block him
56' Action Angel Fabián Di María Tries a right-footed shot, Kaladze clears it with a header
54' Action Kaká Brilliant run from midfield by the Brazilian who manages to arrive to Quim's area, but his shot is out
53' Action Massimo Oddo Crosses it for Inzaghi, but the referee interrupts the play for a foul inside the area
52' Action Kakha Kaladze Clears the ball after a dangerous move by Di Maria
50' Action Kakha Kaladze Nice intervention by the georgian defender on Cardozo as he tried to sprint inside the area
48' Action Marek Jankulovski Marek finds space for a shot on the left, but the Benfica defence clear
46' Generic Event The teams have returned on the pitch and referee Riley has just whistled for the start of the second half

[timothy]

AC Milan and SL Benfica: past meetings

Season 1955/56
Latin Cup (Semi-Final)
Friday, June 29th 1956
Milan, Civic Arena
MILAN – BENFICA 4-2
Scorers: 19’ Mariani A, 40’ and 58’ Schiaffino, 52’ Colũna, 65’ Caiaco, 73’ Bagnoli
Referee: Arqué (Spain).

1962/63 Season
Champions Clubs' Cup (Final)
Wednesday, May 22nd, 1963
Wembley-London (England), Empire Stadium
MILAN – BENFICA 2-1 (
Scorers: 18’ Eusebio, 58’ and 66’ Altafini
Referee: Arthur Holland (England).

1989/90 Season
Champions Clubs' Cup (Final)
Wednesday, May 23rd, 1990
Wien (Austria), Prater Stadium
MILAN – BENFICA 1-0
Scorer: 68’ Rijkaard
Referee: Kohl (Austria).

1994/95 Season
UEFA Champions League (Quarter Finals - First Leg)
Wednesday, March 1st 1995
Milan, San Siro Stadium
MILAN – BENFICA 2-0
Scorer: 63’ and 75’ Simone
Referee: Ahmet Cakar (Turkey).

UEFA Champions League(Quarter Finals - Second Leg)
Wednesday, March 15th, 1995
Lisboa (Portugal), da Luz Stadium
BENFICA – MILAN 0-0
Referee: Guy Goethals (Belgium).

[timothy]

[timothy]

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: THE OTHERS IN GROUP D

MILAN - In Group D of the 2007/2008 Champions League, here is tonight's result of Milan's next opponents: Shakhtar Donetsk-Celtic Glasgow 2-0.

[timothy]

WE'RE HAPPY

"We wanted to win because from tonight we have officially put the Cup for grabs. They will have to work hard to take it away from us. We have started well and we're happy."

MILAN - These are the declarations of Adriano Galliani and Carlo Ancelotti at the end of Milan-Benfica 2-1:

Adriano Galliani:
"Pirlo was extraordinary. Every ball he launched turned into a goal scoring opportunity. It's a joy for the eyes seeing Andrea play.
The Champions League for Milan is a particular manifestation: it's the fifteenth time in twenty years that Milan participates in it and we arrived in eight finals in the past 14 years.
Tonight we saw marvellous football. We like to win, convincing and playing well. However the result is a bit of a lie and it doesn't go down well with us. Still, the three points arrived and we started out well.
The difference between the Champions League and the league is abysmal, they are partically two different sports. In the Champions League whoever is the champion of its country, plays and lets play, whereas in the league whoever feels inferior plays in a totally different manner."

Carlo Ancelotti:
"We wanted to win because from tonight we have officially put the Cup up for grabs after these months we have spent as current champions, but now the others will have to work hard to take it away from us. We started out well and we are happy.
Pirlo is an importnat player, who makes the team rotate, since his arrival he has matured a lot. He possesses great qualities, he always had them, but now he has acknowledged his abilities and for this reason he is very appreciated by his team-mates.
Ahead of Saturday's game against Parma, we have an extra day to prepare it contrary to our last two league games. We have made two false steps and in those occasions we only had three days to prepare the game, first to recover from the European Super Cup and then for the return of the national team players. We shall be more reactive with Parma from the physical point of view.
We can do well both in the champions League and in the league, where we are just at the start and we don't lack the opportunity of returning to the top positions of the standings.
With regards to Dida, tonight he did well and I'm sorry that there are criticisms towards him and Gilardino, both must feel the affection and respect of everyone.
Kaka played well. It's true, he did not score, but for Inzaghi's goal, it was mostly thanks to his acceleration.
Oddo and Jankulovksi are very important thanks to their maturity and their important performances which allow us to express a great game."

[timothy]

SUBSCRIPTION CAMPAIGN 2007-2008: THE RISE CONTINUES!

MILAN - The last update regarding the sales of season tickets for Milan's 2007-2008 season reads as follows: as of midnight yesterday 41.771 season tickets have been sold for an income of 13,090,399.00 euros. The club thanks all of the Milanisti who have chosen to subscribe.

[timothy]

MILAN ALWAYS WINS THE FIRST ONE

MILAN - With Carlo Ancelotti as coach of the Rossoneri's squad, Milan won its sixth consecutive 'first game' of the past six years. This is the list: 2002 Milan-Lens 2-1; 2003 Milan-Ajax 1-0; 2004 Shakhtar-Milan 0-1; 2005 Milan-Fenerbahce 3-1; 2006 Milan-Aek Atene 3-0; 2007 Milan-Benfica 2-1.

[timothy]

IT'S THE FIFTEENTH

From 1988 to today Milan have participated 15 times to the European Cup/Champions League. In the preceding 14 editions, aside from the one just begun, Milan reached the final EIGHT times...

MILAN - This is a terrific statistic. If we consider the last 20 years, from the European Cup 1988-89 to the 2007-2008 Champions League, the edition which started yesterday is Milan's 15th participation to the highest European football competition.

But what's so amazing, what doesn't and probably won't for a very long time have precedents is the following data: in the last 14 participations, Milan reached the final 8 times. A double layer of excellence: the prestige of the participation and the sporting merit derived from the consistency at high levels in a very long period of time.

Here are the details of the Rossoneri's appearences in the European Cup/Champions League of the last 20 years:

1988-89: MILAN EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS
1989-90: MILAN EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS
1990-91: Milan to Quarter-finals
1992-93: MILAN IN FINAL
1993-94: MILAN EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS
1994-95: MILAN IN FINAL
1996-97: Milan to the first group stage
1999-00: Milan to the first group stage
2000-01: Milan to the second group stage
2002-03: MILAN EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS
2003-04: Milan to Quarter-finals
2004-05: MILAN IN FINAL
2005-06: Milan in Semifinal
2006-07: MILAN EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS
2007-08: Milan victorious on debut: 2-1 against Benfica

[timothy]

PIPPO FLYING

60 goals scored in European competitions are an italian record and are in any case a huge amount. But also considering only the goals scored in Europe with the Milan shirt, Inzaghi impresses

MILAN - With 60 goals scored in 94 matches in international cup tournaments during his career, a total enriched by the recent goals against Sevilla and Benfica, Filippo Inzaghi is a living legend who is walking all over the history of European competitions.

In any case, as the chase on Gerd Müller, who is at the very top of the goalscorers charts in the history of the Cups, continues, Inzaghi has already carved out a piece of history for himself in the Rossoneri shirt. Superpippo is the top goalscorer of all the current Rossoneri players, considering only international matches with Milan.

Here is the list of the best 13 goalscorers in the Rossoneri's European history, taking into consideration only goals scored in European and World competitions while wearing the Milan shirt:

Shevchenko 37 goals
INZAGHI 31 (4 Uefa Cup - 26 Champions League - 1 European Supercup)
Altafini 20
Van Basten 19
Prati - Simone 16
Bigon 14
Rivera 13
Sormani - Chiarugi 12
Virdis 11
Massaro 10
Rijkaard 9

[timothy]

THANK YOU ANDREA

Against Benfica he delighted the San Siro public first with the splendid free kick that gave the Rossoneri the lead, then with a perfect cross for Inzaghi. - PIRLO'S DECLARATIONS -

MILANELLO - Here is the interview given to 'Milan Channel''s microphones by Andrea Pirlo the day after his splendid goal in the Champions League against Benfica:

Andrea, you were with the national team and played an important role, then you came back to Milan and it seemed you would not play after you suffered a knock with the Azzurri, instead you played and again your contribution was decisive.
"Yes, it's a period in which I feel well and I hope it can continue as long as possible."

Your objective in the Champions League is to bring home the Cup once again?
"Certainly. Winning the Cup remains our primary objective in the Champions League and we must continue playing as we did last night to try and repeat ourselves and win this edition as well."

Are there differences between the balls used in the Champions League and those used in Serie A?
"There is a bit of difference. As I hit the free kick yesterday against Benfica I saw that their goalkeeper Quim who was expecting a cross, that's why I tried to hit the ball with effect."

Also for the second goal your contribution was fundamental...
"It was useful to have seen the movements of my team mates in advance, then as far as the goal goes, Pippo did well to shoot it in."

How do you prepare for games of this type?
"The Coach shows us videotapes of the opponents before the game so we already know something before we come on the pitch. Then aside from training I try to observe the movements of the opponents and gradually you can see better moves during the match. You should always, in any case, show your value on the pitch."