Football United

Two moments of Kaka brilliance fired Milan to victory in their opening Champions League group game against Fenerbahce. Andriy Shevchenko added the third with a minute to go after the Turkish side had earlier drawn level from a penalty. Paolo Maldini continued in the centre of defence alongside Alessandro Nesta, with Marcos Cafu returning to right-back and Kakha Kaladze at left-back. Rino Gattuso joined Andrea Pirlo and Massimo Ambrosini in a three-man midfield, with Kaka playing on the shoulder of strikers Andriy Shevchenko and Christian Vieri.

Milan had the first real chance of the game on seven minutes when Cafu delivered a cross from the right but Shevchenko failed to direct his header goalwards. Vieri then had a turn and shot deflected away for a corner and one of Kaka’s trademark runs was crowded out in the area. It was the young Brazilian who broke the deadlock on 18 minutes as he gathered a neat Pirlo back-heel on the edge of the area and drove a low shot into the corner of the net. Just before the half-hour mark, Maldini did well to flick a curling cross away from the danger zone as the visitors came more into the game. Shevchenko almost doubled the lead on 35 minutes but could not stretch far enough to meet Cafu’s low centre. Then Dida had to react smartly to turn away a deflected Selcuk shot from the edge of the area.

Carlo Ancelotti made no changes at half time but the defence was almost caught cold by a long through ball which set Nicolas Anelka racing goalwards but the striker sent his shot wide of the post. Another swift break from Cafu set up Shevchenko and this time the Ukraine international saw his deflected shot from just inside the area pushed away by the goalkeeper. However, the Turkish side drew level from a penalty on 63 minutes. Gattuso fouled Anelka from behind in the area and Alex sent Dida the wrong way with the resultant spot-kick. Ancelotti brought on Johann Vogel and Serginho for Pirlo and Gattuso on 70 minutes and seven minutes later Alberto Gilardino came on for Vieri. Kaladze fired in a stunning shot from the left of the area which the keeper did very well to parry away at his near post. With three minutes left, it was left to Kaka to produce another moment of magic as the Golden Boy skipped past three tackles on the edge of the area before placing his low right-footed goal under the keeper’s body and in the final minute Shevchenko arrived at the back post to slot home a Serginho cross.

MILAN: Dida; Cafu, Nesta, Maldini, Kaladze; Gattuso (Vogel, 70'), Pirlo (Serginho, 70'), Ambrosini, Kakà; Shevchenko, Vieri (Gilardino, 82')

FENERBAHÇE: Volkan; Serkan, Fabio Luciano, Turaci, Umit; Aurelio, Selcuk, Appiah (Aslan, 53'); Alex; Tuncay, Anelka.

GOALS: 1-0, Kaká (18'); 1-1, Alex (63', pen); 2-1, Kaká (87'); 3-1, Shevchenko (89')

Source: acmilan.ot