MILAN, 20 April 2006 — Barcelona took a step toward the Champions League final when a Ludovic Giuly goal earned them a 1-0 win over AC Milan at the San Siro stadium in their semifinal, first-leg match on Tuesday.
Frenchman Giuly’s strike in the 57th minute — with a sharp finish after he raced on to a superb pass from Brazilian Ronaldinho — snapped a 13-match unbeaten home run for Milan in Europe.
Milan had three times gone close to an opener with Alberto Gilardino hitting the post, while Andriy Shevchenko had a header parried before Gilardino wasted another chance in the 51st minute.
Barca could have come away with an even better result, Ronaldinho hitting the post at the end of a swift counterattack. Milan wasted another chance when substitute Massimo Ambrosini screwed a shot wide in the 81st minute.
“It was a good win against a great team,” Ronaldinho told Canal Plus TV in Spain.
“We played a very good first half and then made use of the extra space in the second. But this tie is far from over and there are still 90 very tough minutes to come.” Milan have been clinical in their finishing throughout the competition this season but they missed the sharpness in front of goal of their striker Filippo Inzaghi, who was sidelined due to a virus.
The result gives the Catalan club a great chance for the second-leg on April 26 as they seek to add to their solitary European Cup success.
Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti left captain Paolo Maldini and Brazilian Cafu on the bench with Dutchman Jaap Stam and Brazilian Serginho operating in the fullback roles. The Italian side, playing in their third Champions League semifinal in four years, dominated the early exchanges in front of a passionate 76,000 capacity crowd.
Gilardino, who replaced Inzaghi in attack, struck the post from a tight angle in the 14th minute after turning sharply as he received a long throw from Serginho.
A minute later Clarence Seedorf burst down the left and whipped in a bouncing cross which Shevchenko headed powerfully goalward but Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes made a good diving save.
Milan went close again six minutes after the restart when Shevchenko flicked the ball to Kaka inside the area and the Brazilian, who could have shot himself, fed Gilardino but the Italy forward fired wide.
Six minutes later Barcelona had the lead. Ronaldinho split the Milan defense open and Giuly, anticipating the delivery and losing his marker Kakha Kaladze with a sharp diagonal run, beat Dida with a precise left-foot finish.
It was almost 2-0 shortly after when Barca hit the post, Giuly broke on the counterattack feeding Ronaldinho whose nonchalant shot from the edge of the area struck Dida’s right-hand post.
With the Spanish side dominating midfield, Dida was forced into action in the 66th minute to keep out a smart shot from Andres Iniesta as Ancelotti’s side looked in danger of letting the game slip out of control.
The Milan coach responded by bringing on Maldini for an out-of-sorts Andrea Pirlo, pushing Serginho forward into midfield and then introduced Massimo Ambrosini for Gennaro Gattuso.
It was Ambrosini who wasted Milan’s next opportunity, missing the target having got behind the Barcelona defense.
If the Italian side are to keep alive their hopes of a seventh European Cup win then they will need to rediscover their killer instinct at the Nou Camp but chances may be harder to find against Frank Rijkaard’s impressive side.
Camara Double Hands Wigan
3-2 Win Over Aston Villa
In London, two goals in five minutes by Henri Camara secured Wigan Athletic a 3-2 home win over Aston Villa in the Premier League on Tuesday. It was 1-1 when Camara struck for the first time in the 56th minute, Juan Pablo Angel having equalized three minutes earlier for Villa following Jimmy Bullard’s first half goal for Wigan. Camara fired home from the middle of the area to net right back Pascal Chimbonda’s cross and on the hour the pair repeated the action for the striker’s second.
Wigan climbed two places to eight while Villa, who pulled a goal back through Liam Ridgewell in the 67th minute, remain 15th and are still not totally safe from relegation.
Sheffield United, second in division two, could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to Leeds United in their first match since securing promotion to the Premier League at the weekend.
Leeds, in fifth place, have already qualified for the four-team promotion playoffs.
