AC Milan's Kaka celebrates after scoring against Manchester United during their Champions League semi-final second-leg match at the San Siro stadium in Milan yesterday. AC Milan won 3-0 to advance to the final against Liverpool in Athens later this month. - Reuters MILAN (Reuters):
AC MILAN set up a repeat Champions League final showdown against Liverpool when they brushed aside Manchester United 3-0 yesterday to complete a 5-3 win on aggregate.
First-half goals by play-maker Kaka and midfielder Clarence Seedorf, and a second-half strike by substitute Alberto Gilardino rewarded a commanding display by the six-time European champions who will dispute their third final in five years and the 11th in their history in Athens onMay 23.
The game against Liverpool will also give them a chance to avenge the defeat they suffered against the English club in the 2005 final in Istanbul, when they squandered a 3-0 half-time lead before losing 3-2 on penalties.
Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said: "None of the coaches could imagine a match like this. We played perfect football. It is like a dream. Manchester United are a very strong team but we played well in the first leg so it gave us strength to play well today."
The game and pre-match preparations in the city passed off peacefully despite fears of violence after Roma and United fans clashed in the last round.
But United were outclassed from the moment they stepped out at the San Siro.
The lashing rain, lightning and thunder resembled a wet winter's night in Manchester rather than Milan in spring, but it was the Italian side that looked more comfortable on the greasy pitch.
Kaka needed less than a minute to show why Alex Ferguson had identified him as the Italian side's most dangerous player.
The Brazilian international, who scored both Milan's goals in the first leg, effortlessly accelerated around Wes Brown to send in a low cross that flashed invitingly in front of Filippo Inzaghi and Clarence Seedorf.
He didn't take long to find the target, latching on to a Seedorf nod-on before dispatching a low, left-footed drive into the bottom corner of Edwin van der Sar's net after 11 minutes.
United jerked briefly into life. Giggs forced Dida to make his first save of the match after 20 minutes, but the Premier League leaders continued to lack their usual bite.
Outstanding match
Cristiano Ronaldo, in particular, looked isolated on the left, where Gennaro Gattuso, who had an outstanding match, and Massimo Oddo snapped at his heels every time he received the ball.
Milan struck again on the half hour mark, the move beginning when defender Nemanja Vidic slipped over on the edge of the area to concede possession to Andrea Pirlo.
The midfielder's cross was cleared only as far as Seedorf on the edge of the area, and the Dutchman jinked to his right before beating van der Sar with another low drive.
Milan began the second half as they finished the first, with Kaka bursting into the box and angling in a shot that the goalkeeper did well to keep out.
United were more industrious than they had been before the break, though they seemed no closer to scoring.
With 12 minutes remaining, Ferguson sent on Louis Saha as an additional striker in place of defender John O'Shea.
It was a gamble that backfired. With the United team pushed upfield, Milan midfielder Massimo Ambrosini picked out Inzaghi's replacement, Gilardino, with a long crossfield ball and the Italy striker dashed into the area and fired past van der Sar.
