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AC Milan beat PSV 2-0 in first-leg
Andriy Shevchenko and Jon Dahl Tomasson scored to give AC Milan a 2-0 win against PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday, handing Milan a big advantage going into the return.
PSV had chances at San Siro, but failed to score a key away goal against a Milan side that has now held the opposition blank in seven European matches. Milan has not lost in the Champions League since Nov. 3, when it went down 2-1 at Barcelona. Since then, the six-time European champion has earned six wins and a draw without giving up a goal. "We can say we have the cake and now we're just missing the cherry on top," Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We're closer (to the final) than PSV, but we'll have to prepare very well for the return leg, seeing how tough they were." In the 42nd minute, Shevchenko received a vertical pass from Brazilian playmaker Kaka, drove up the centre of the field on a counterattack, sprinted past defender Wilfred Bouma and shot beyond charging goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes in one swift motion. It was the Ukrainian's sixth score in the Champions League this season.
As the clock struck the 90th minute, Tomasson, a Danish striker who came on as a second-half substitute for Hernan Crespo, kicked in a rebound off a shot by Kaka. "I'm extremely pleased," Shevchenko said. "It was a very difficult match, I'm exhausted because I ran for 90 minutes, they have a slow pace but they control the ball well, they never give it away. "Milan had a good strategy of counterattacks. Tomasson's goal was very important, a two-goal advantage is huge." Shevchenko said the win gave Milan "a bit of breathing" room, adding that he was particularly pleased that Tomasson scored. "He's had a difficult season," Shevchenko said. "But now he's at his maximum, (Filippo) Inzaghi is back, there's Crespo and me. Good for the final." Inzaghi, who has missed most of the season while recuperating from injury, sat on the substitutes bench Tuesday. In front of a soldout crowd - including around 7,000 red-white striped Dutch fans - Milan threatened consistently during the first 10 minutes. Two minutes in, Shevchenko's close-range attempt was blocked by Gomes. In the 10th, Crespo shot high twice off two Andrea Pirlo corners in less than 30 seconds. Pirlo directed the rear of Milan's attack in his first action since injuring his knee on April 9. Dutch defender Jaap Stam also played for Milan, despite a thigh injury. PSV eventually organized itself and 20-year-old Peruvian striker Jefferson Farfan sent in a long shot from outside the area that Milan's Brazilian 'keeper Dida stopped in the 12th. In the 18th, South Korean midfielder Park Ji-sung - who was on the side that upset Italy at the 2002 World Cup - was taken down from behind by Clarence Seedorf, earning Milan's Dutchman a yellow card. Farfan had another opportunity in the 20th with a well-positioned free kick but his shot over Milan's wall also went above the goal. Park surprised Dida, who was slightly out of position, with a long shot two minutes later but was off the mark. Gomes was shown a yellow card for wasting time in the 28th minute. In the 34th, Kaka sent in a blistering shot that Gomes did well to block. In all, Milan had 10 shots on goal to PSV's six. "The problem tonight was finishing off," PSV coach Guus Hiddink said. "I'm proud of the boys, the way they played against a team with a budget five times bigger than us. But I always like to get a result. It's not easy to get six chances against Milan in this stadium, which we did." Hiddink said the return leg would be "difficult." "They will wait for us and try to control the game and try to counterattack. But we won't give up," he said. PSV captain Mark van Bommel said his side was solid in the first half. "In the second half I don't think I'm exaggerating if I say we outplayed them. We had five chances," van Bommel said. And he was realistic about PSV's lean prospects in the return. "They should have it," he said. "You have to score against them twice. That's going to be unbelievably difficult."
PSV's streak of scoring at least one goal in nine straight European matches ended. Shevchenko nearly made it 2-0 in the 58th minute when Gomes made a leaping save to tip his shot over the bar. Van Bommel outdribbled Milan's defence in the 67th but shot high. A minute later, PSV defender Andre Ooijer was booked for a mistimed challenge on Dida, making him unavailable for the return leg. The match was the first European game at San Siro since Inter Milan received a four-game home fan ban for crowd trouble during its second-leg loss against Milan in the quarter-finals. Security was tight and no trouble was reported. The second leg will be held in Eindhoven on May 4, with the final scheduled for Istanbul on May 25. Milan is aiming for its second final in three seasons following the 2003 title it won with a shootout over Juventus. Hiddink guided PSV to the old European Cup title in 1988, beating Benfica on penalties. On Wednesday, Chelsea and Liverpool play the first leg of their all-English semifinal.
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