AC Milan News: Shambles, no other word for it.

By Dave Eadevic
April 8 2004

AC Milan crashed out of the Champions League last night depite going into the tie with a 3 goal lead, Deportiva La Coruna, know they needed a 3-0 win to go through and as unlikely as it sounds they gor 4 instead.

It Really was a hamering for Milan and surely an inquest will be taking place this morning.

Deportivo on the other hand could hardly be on much more of a high having knocked out the holders in the most extraodinary of circumstances.

Only Porto - who beat Lyon 4-2 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw in France last night - of all the semi-finalists have ever been crowned champions of Europe, so the competition is wide open and there for all four remaining teams to win.

What the Milan defence was thinking about last night is anyones guess, their wives and girlfriends prehaps, summer holidays, taking the dog for a walk? Whatever it was they certianly didn't seam to be thinking about defending.

Pandiani opened the scoring after five minutes to give Depor a dream start, and they led 3-0 at the break after further goals from Juan Carlos Valeron and Albert Luque.

Fran's goal in the second half ended Milan's run as champions.

Individual errors caused each first-half goal, with Paolo Maldini, goalkeeper Dida, Alessando Nesta and Cafu all to Blame, I mean these are collectively some of the best players, if not arguably in Nesta's and Maldini's case the best in the world, but they were far from that last night, far from it.

A 3 goal advantage with Milan's first choice defence, they're not going to lose that now are they? Well they did.

A fourth goal after 76 minutes of the second half, which Fran will be credited with despite his volley deflecting off Cafu's legs, made sure of the home side's victory.