Newsgroup: it.sport.calcio.milan
Titolo: Dal sito del Bayern

Bayern 1 AC Milan 1 Advantage Milan as Reds shine but fade
 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Match replay: second half in full
 
  21.02.2006 Bayern face an uphill task in Milan next month after a proverbial
game of two halves turned on a controversial Andrey Shevchenko penalty.
A 66,000 full house at the Allianz Arena witnessed a breathtaking display of
pace and aggression from the home side before the interval, crowned by
Ballack's sizzling opener midway through the half.
The tables were spectacularly turned after the break as the German double
winners allowed the Champions League first knockout round, first leg tie to
slip from their grasp, and Shevchenko duly levelled from the spot just short
of the hour mark.
The highly debateable penalty award appeared to sap Bayern's morale, and the
Italians comfortably repelled the Bavarians' increasingly desperate
attacking efforts to become the first undefeated visitors to the Allianz
Arena.
Kahn misses out
The result undoubtedly presents the 2001 winners with a mountain to climb on
8 March in the return against last year's beaten finalists, but an away goal
and a solid defensive display would yet do the trick.
Bayern were shorn of their most charismatic and inspirational figure before
a ball had been kicked when Oliver Kahn signalled he would be unable to
complete the warm-up.
The captain, still handicapped by a thigh injury sustained in Saturday's
Bundesliga trip to Hanover, passed the armband to Michael Ballack and his
place in goal to 21-year-old Michael Rensing, coming in for his first
European appearance.
Left-back Philipp Lahm also made his Champions League debut in a Bayern
shirt at veteran Bixente Lizarazu's expense, while boss Felix Magath
preferred the tactical discipline offered by Hasan Salihamidzic down the
right flank to Sebastian Deisler's flair or the surprise value of Iran star
Ali Karimi.
The visitors fielded a reshuffled back four in the absence of regulars Paolo
Maldini and Cafu, but the Milan line-up still oozed class with the likes of
Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo and Clarence Seedorf, maestro Kaka and
prolific hitman Andrey Shevchenko.
Sublime first half
After a bright opening featuring a couple of rapier thrusts from both sides,
Bayern produced their best 30 minutes of the season so far in a thrilling
spell bristling with aggression and invention.
Salihamidzic was a whirlwind of pace and grit, Martin Demichelis an
unflappable rock in the enforcer role, and Claudio Pizarro and Zé Roberto
hit new heights in the workrate department.
However, Ballack was the undisputed star of the half, making light of
Gattuso's terrier-like attentions to pose a constant threat in the hole
behind Roy Makaay.
Ballack on target
The Germany skipper headed over Milan keeper Dida's crossbar after great
work from Makaay and Salihamidzic on the quarter hour, but made no mistake
on 23 minutes with a thunderous right-foot drive after Pirlo's weak header
from Lahm's long punt fell invitingly and Alessandro Nesta backed off to
cover Zé.
Dida prevented Makaay doubling the advantage from Ballack's delicious
chipped pass just two minutes later, and the keeper did well again to deny
Pizarro with half an hour played.
Makaay drove just wide six minutes from the interval, and although Kaka
offered fleeting glimpses of his prodigious talent, Bayern thoroughly
deserved their half-time lead.
Controversial penalty award
The pattern changed dramatically after the restart as the Reds inexplicably
sat back and allowed the visitors to come at them.
Shevchenko hinted at the danger ahead with an incisive burst into the box,
before stepping up to tuck away a 58th minute penalty and level the scores
after Belgian referee Mr De Bleeckere harshly ruled Valerien Ismael's diving
clearance from Serginho's cross as handball.
Magath reacted by introducing Karimi for Salihamidzic, bleeding from the
nose after an earlier incident with Kaka, and the Iran man was immediately
at the heart of a controversial scene when Nesta appeared to bludgeon him to
the ground after a corner.
But the match official waved play on and the German champions breathed a
huge sigh of relief as Shevchenko led a menacing break, only for Alberto
Gilardino to curl his effort just wide of Rensing's left-hand upright.
Mountain to climb
A second number two keeper made an appearance on 68 minutes as Zeljko Kalac
replaced Dida, stretchered away after falling awkwardly, but Milan were in
the ideal position now and threw up a solid white wall in front of Bayern's
increasingly ragged attacking effort.
The Italians were dangerous on the inevitable breaks too, and Rensing
reacted superbly to deny Shevchenko as the Ukraine dangerman bore down on
goal 15 minutes from time.
Mehmet Scholl replaced Zé and Paolo Guerrero took over from the subdued
Makaay as Munich mounted a late rally, but Munich created little against the
visitors' stubborn rearguard, a late Ballack header apart.
The result ends Bayern's perfect 15-game winning streak at their new home
ground, and Milan must now be considered favourites to make the last eight
of Europe's elite club competition.
 
 
--------------------------------
Inviato via 
http://arianna.libero.it/usenet/

the ground after a corner.
Come ho sempre sostenuto, ogni squadra ha il suo Mauro Suma.
-  Wurrunna